Renato Vesco — 'Intercettateli senza sparare' (Mursia, 1968)
player
The 1950 newspaper claims became a book in 1968, and the book is how the story travelled for thirty years.
Who they are
Renato Vesco, author of 'Intercept them without firing: the true story of the flying discs', published in Milan by Mursia[1].
What they do
In the engine he is the link between the original press claims and the modern literature.
How it works
The Italian national library catalogue holds four records for the title. Two are dated 1968, one 1970 and one 1974, all from Mursia, in the same series. The book runs to 351 pages with seven plates, and is filed under the library classification for unidentified flying objects[1].
Why it matters
It matters for citation hygiene. The year 1968 is right, but both catalogued 1968 printings say 'third edition' on them, so calling that printing a first edition is not supported by the catalogue. The US Library of Congress holds no record of the book at all.
The engine's record — word for word
[Report #195] **In plain terms:** the author who turned the 1950 newspaper claims into a book, which is the form the story travelled in for the next thirty years.
The bibliographic record, established directly against the Italian national union catalogue (ICCU / OPAC SBN), which holds four records for the title: 'Intercettateli senza sparare : la vera storia dei dischi volanti / Renato Vesco', Milano : Mursia, 1968, 351 p., [7] plates, ill., 22 cm, series 'Testimonianze fra cronaca e storia ; 30' (IT\ICCU\BIA\0017535). A second 1968 record carries Italian national bibliography number BNI 686581 and Dewey 629.13339, 'oggetti volanti non identificati' (IT\ICCU\CFI\0734014). Later Mursia printings: 1970 (IT\ICCU\RMS\1001974) and 1974 (IT\ICCU\LIA\0247175).
PRECISION THAT MATTERS FOR CITATION HYGIENE: both catalogued 1968 records carry the edition statement '3. ed' — third edition. 1968 is the correct year for the book, but a citation calling the 1968 printing a first edition is not supported by the national catalogue. The Library of Congress holds no record of the title; OpenLibrary returns zero. Canon held zero on Vesco before this record.
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