Could the US government - or some other unnamed entity - be hiding captured alien spacecraft brought on by a half-century of Cold War paranoia? Area 51, Dreamland, Groom Lake, the Ranch, the Box - all refer to the top-secret installation, located a hundred miles morth of Las Vegas, that has prompted these odd speculations. Built under the direction of the CIA in the early 1950s, the base served as the original test site for the U-2 spy plane and the Stealth fighter; in more recent years, interest has stemmed from sensational charges about UFOs. Lately, a daring guerrilla subculture has sprung up, aiming to explode the secrecy that surrounds this mysterious spot. David Darlington details the history, the legends and characters involved with Area 51, spinning a tale of intrigue that speaks volumes about our attitudes at the century's end.