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Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures
Bestselling author and noted cryptozoologist Loren Coleman set out on the ultimate mission: to uncover the fun and intriguing phenomena that exist right here in the United States. In Mysterious America, a fun and compulsively readable guidebook to America's most popular local legends, he prepares readers for their own adventure -- where to find the unbelievable spectacles on their journey, including:
Phantom panthers haunting eastern North America
Bay State ghosts and spirits
Mad gassers in Illinois
Champ, the famous Lake Champlain monster
The Minnesota Iceman
The Missouri Momo and the infamous Eastern Bigfoot
And many more!
Coleman's witty insight and astonishing experiences will captivate followers of Charles Fort and just-plain-curious readers alike. For, as Coleman frankly reveals, these strange creatures and unimaginable wonders may lie just beyond your own backyard....
Phantom panthers haunting eastern North America
Bay State ghosts and spirits
Mad gassers in Illinois
Champ, the famous Lake Champlain monster
The Minnesota Iceman
The Missouri Momo and the infamous Eastern Bigfoot
And many more!
Coleman's witty insight and astonishing experiences will captivate followers of Charles Fort and just-plain-curious readers alike. For, as Coleman frankly reveals, these strange creatures and unimaginable wonders may lie just beyond your own backyard....
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1989
About the author
Loren Coleman
74 books61 followersLoren Coleman is one of the world's leading cryptozoologists. An honorary member of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, and several other international organizations, he is also a Life Member of the International Society of Cryptozoology. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursue of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969.
Coleman has written seventeen books and more than three hundred articles, has appeared frequently on radio and television programs, and has lectured throughout North America, as well as in London and at Loch Ness.
Coleman has written seventeen books and more than three hundred articles, has appeared frequently on radio and television programs, and has lectured throughout North America, as well as in London and at Loch Ness.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 2, 2011
I'm still at the library (having just checked this book out), and only thus far having read Chapter Three ("Devil Names and Fortean Places"), plus some of the appendices (my favorite being "Erratic Crocodilians and Teleporting 'Gators"), and yet I am quite confident in assigning this outstanding volume a five-star rating. I anticipate burning through its contents with great enthusiasm & rapidity (as well as employing it for various evidentiary citations at Wikipedia), despite the various other books I am already engaged in reading.
Many (most?) books on cryptozoology, and Forteana generally, tend to leave a good deal to be desired. This is not going to be an issue here, I feel well and truly assured. This is more than a rehash of the same tired, old double handful of 1970s Bigfoot & Loch Ness Monster tales, and is well written, and thus far quite fascinating. I made a great choice when I decided to obtain my local library's copy of this book, and if the subject matter is one which you find of interest, then you too shall be making a good choice, if and when you decide to peruse this intriguing tome.
...And now that I've actually read the book in quesion, let me reiterate my initial impressions, as well as note that in addition to Chapter Three, there are some other particularly intriguing chapters which really stand out as being unusually interesting, such as Chapter 4 "Things That Go Bump in the Bay State," Chapter 5 "A Case Study: The Dover Demon," Chapter 16 "The North American Ape," and especially Chapter 21, "The Phantom Clowns." That last chapter is a real powerhouse, one that delves into the legend of "The Pied Piper" (and his contemporary analogs), and which puts this book head & shoulders above most others of its ilk, in terms of its discernment of the nature of Fortean events.
Highly recommended!
Many (most?) books on cryptozoology, and Forteana generally, tend to leave a good deal to be desired. This is not going to be an issue here, I feel well and truly assured. This is more than a rehash of the same tired, old double handful of 1970s Bigfoot & Loch Ness Monster tales, and is well written, and thus far quite fascinating. I made a great choice when I decided to obtain my local library's copy of this book, and if the subject matter is one which you find of interest, then you too shall be making a good choice, if and when you decide to peruse this intriguing tome.
...And now that I've actually read the book in quesion, let me reiterate my initial impressions, as well as note that in addition to Chapter Three, there are some other particularly intriguing chapters which really stand out as being unusually interesting, such as Chapter 4 "Things That Go Bump in the Bay State," Chapter 5 "A Case Study: The Dover Demon," Chapter 16 "The North American Ape," and especially Chapter 21, "The Phantom Clowns." That last chapter is a real powerhouse, one that delves into the legend of "The Pied Piper" (and his contemporary analogs), and which puts this book head & shoulders above most others of its ilk, in terms of its discernment of the nature of Fortean events.
Highly recommended!
October 9, 2011
The Ultimate Spot to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots and Creepiest Creatures!
The title alone promises oh so much fun for an old X-Files fan! Monsters, mysteries, American legends - a road movie/travel guide/goosebump inducing read with humour and real information.
Is it?
Wrong! Oh so wrong! This isn't X-Files revisited, and it isn't an entertaining revision of everyone's favourite ghost hunters Sam and Dean's adventures either. That would have been fun. No, "Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots and Creepiest Creatures" is, despite the abundance of alliterations in the title, a science book!!!
Only, it isn't very scientific, because - newsflash, Mr. Coleman, Cryptozoology is not a science!
Which is why I seriously didn't expect this book would demand to be taken seriously. That, of course, diminuishes the fun a little. It's still not completely without merit - if you can overlook that "look it's proof because ten people saw it in 1970!" attitude, it still serves as an weird and wonderous reference book for some of the more mysterious parts of American history and tradition. And, that is without question - humanity has always been fascinated by cryptozoolgy, and the vast middle of America with its lovely little spots like Weird Lake, Minnesota or Devil's Tower, Wyoming, maybe even more so.
Which is why the book still gets two stars, and then goes, mostly unread, on the shelf right next to my "X-Files, the first two seasons" series guide.
The title alone promises oh so much fun for an old X-Files fan! Monsters, mysteries, American legends - a road movie/travel guide/goosebump inducing read with humour and real information.
Is it?
Wrong! Oh so wrong! This isn't X-Files revisited, and it isn't an entertaining revision of everyone's favourite ghost hunters Sam and Dean's adventures either. That would have been fun. No, "Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots and Creepiest Creatures" is, despite the abundance of alliterations in the title, a science book!!!
Only, it isn't very scientific, because - newsflash, Mr. Coleman, Cryptozoology is not a science!
Which is why I seriously didn't expect this book would demand to be taken seriously. That, of course, diminuishes the fun a little. It's still not completely without merit - if you can overlook that "look it's proof because ten people saw it in 1970!" attitude, it still serves as an weird and wonderous reference book for some of the more mysterious parts of American history and tradition. And, that is without question - humanity has always been fascinated by cryptozoolgy, and the vast middle of America with its lovely little spots like Weird Lake, Minnesota or Devil's Tower, Wyoming, maybe even more so.
Which is why the book still gets two stars, and then goes, mostly unread, on the shelf right next to my "X-Files, the first two seasons" series guide.
February 3, 2017
As noted elsewhere, I'm slowly unboxing some of the Fortean books of my adolescence and giving them quick re-reads at bedtime. Short version - while I'm basically a scientific rationalist I found these books great imaginative prompts in my youth, they helped create a sense of wonder in the real world. I've recently rediscovered my love for Loren Coleman's work. Coleman is an interesting figure in the field - partly, he's a cryptozoologist in the mold of Bernard Heuvelmans or Ivan T. Sanderson (in that, he actually has scientific training in zoology and applies it to his subjects) - and as a historian for that approach he wrote my recent read Tom Slick and the Search for the Yeti. But Coleman is also a Fortean (as in iconoclastic thinker and oddity collector Charles Fort), in that he's also fascinated by the strange, mysterious & odd in all of its manifestation and correlations. Like Fort, Coleman enjoys collecting old newspaper & magazine reports of odd events and looking for patterns, no matter how strange. And this marvelous book (probably a slightly retooled collection of articles) is chock-a-block with both the expected strange and the unexpected weird. Coleman is very sharp - instead of trying to replicate Fort's H.L. Mencken-style "cranky American journalist" approach of absurd speculation and ridicule of "experts", he instead digs down into other sources of reference: local folklore, oral legends, place names and the like. He also has a sharp eye for social phenomena that would have escaped the eye of Fort - ranging into areas of crime and the like.
So, what you get here is a fascinating sampler of topics. Some are traditional & expected - articles on BHMs (Big Hairy Monsters - Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Skunk Apes and the like), Lake Monsters (Champ of Lake Champlain), The Jersey Devil, UFO occupants, etc. - but usually with a fresh angle.
Coleman really shines, however, when he works at collecting reports of strange animals inexplicably seen roaming America through the decades - cases that tend to get overlooked by the usual paranormal hunters: the strange, spindly Dover Demon (a case he investigated personally), giant snakes, phantom panthers and mystery lions, phantom kangaroos (far more of them reported than you'd expect), etc. He even delves into classic folklore and its roots in reality, whether it be reports of alligators in the sewers of New York (again, many more than you'd expect) or folktale & modern claims of meetings with the Mormon Church-derived "Wandering Nephite" figures.
Occasionally, his willingness to look at events from an odd angle gets the better of him - OOPAs (Out-Of-Place Animals) are a fixture of many Fortean books (see the phantom kangaroos mentioned above) but his chapter on "teleporting animals" (mostly non-indigenous snakes and reptiles in Florida) seems easier to explain with the knowledge that people like exotic pets (even before they became a fad) and release them into the wild when they become unmanageable, rather than having to resort to teleportation as an explanation. On the other hand, his scientific side comes out in an marvelous little article making the argument for an indigenous, North American Ape (or NAPE as he calls it), supported by reams of sightings of "gorillas", "wild men" & "monkeys" by both early settlers and isolated towns - and what's the most interesting about this is that the reports he gathers are very decidedly NOT the usual Bigfoot sightings.
And, as hinted above, Coleman expands his Fortean net into areas generally unexamined by paranormalists - areas involving human behavior, crime, and urban folklore which don't necessarily have to "paranormal" or "inexplicable" to still remain interesting. Thus, we are given entries on "The 'Mad Gasser' Of Mattoon" (group hysteria, or something more?), "SpringHeel Jack", "The Mineral Point Vampire", "The Blue Phantom" sniper and (coincidentally resonant with 2016's events) reports of Phantom Clowns attempting to abduct children - what's most interesting about this last one is that, given the time (1983) the book was released, Coleman seems to have been at the forefront of either catching sight of trends in pedophilic abduction schemes, unfounded fears of the same bubbling up into urban folklore, or perhaps even some deliberate news agit-prop being planted to reinforce the Conservative U.S. Government's "Satanic Panic" that successfully recruited wealthy Evangelicals into their party.
Finally, the book is framed with some wonderfully evocative articles on the power and resonance that place name and family names seem to hold in weird events - geographical locales with Devil and "Fay" derived names cropping up more commonly in weird reports, certain family names reoccurring. This kind of imaginative writing greatly informed my view of the world around me, and I still make a point of researching odd place names in my current locale.
A wonderful book definitely worth hunting up!
So, what you get here is a fascinating sampler of topics. Some are traditional & expected - articles on BHMs (Big Hairy Monsters - Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Skunk Apes and the like), Lake Monsters (Champ of Lake Champlain), The Jersey Devil, UFO occupants, etc. - but usually with a fresh angle.
Coleman really shines, however, when he works at collecting reports of strange animals inexplicably seen roaming America through the decades - cases that tend to get overlooked by the usual paranormal hunters: the strange, spindly Dover Demon (a case he investigated personally), giant snakes, phantom panthers and mystery lions, phantom kangaroos (far more of them reported than you'd expect), etc. He even delves into classic folklore and its roots in reality, whether it be reports of alligators in the sewers of New York (again, many more than you'd expect) or folktale & modern claims of meetings with the Mormon Church-derived "Wandering Nephite" figures.
Occasionally, his willingness to look at events from an odd angle gets the better of him - OOPAs (Out-Of-Place Animals) are a fixture of many Fortean books (see the phantom kangaroos mentioned above) but his chapter on "teleporting animals" (mostly non-indigenous snakes and reptiles in Florida) seems easier to explain with the knowledge that people like exotic pets (even before they became a fad) and release them into the wild when they become unmanageable, rather than having to resort to teleportation as an explanation. On the other hand, his scientific side comes out in an marvelous little article making the argument for an indigenous, North American Ape (or NAPE as he calls it), supported by reams of sightings of "gorillas", "wild men" & "monkeys" by both early settlers and isolated towns - and what's the most interesting about this is that the reports he gathers are very decidedly NOT the usual Bigfoot sightings.
And, as hinted above, Coleman expands his Fortean net into areas generally unexamined by paranormalists - areas involving human behavior, crime, and urban folklore which don't necessarily have to "paranormal" or "inexplicable" to still remain interesting. Thus, we are given entries on "The 'Mad Gasser' Of Mattoon" (group hysteria, or something more?), "SpringHeel Jack", "The Mineral Point Vampire", "The Blue Phantom" sniper and (coincidentally resonant with 2016's events) reports of Phantom Clowns attempting to abduct children - what's most interesting about this last one is that, given the time (1983) the book was released, Coleman seems to have been at the forefront of either catching sight of trends in pedophilic abduction schemes, unfounded fears of the same bubbling up into urban folklore, or perhaps even some deliberate news agit-prop being planted to reinforce the Conservative U.S. Government's "Satanic Panic" that successfully recruited wealthy Evangelicals into their party.
Finally, the book is framed with some wonderfully evocative articles on the power and resonance that place name and family names seem to hold in weird events - geographical locales with Devil and "Fay" derived names cropping up more commonly in weird reports, certain family names reoccurring. This kind of imaginative writing greatly informed my view of the world around me, and I still make a point of researching odd place names in my current locale.
A wonderful book definitely worth hunting up!
July 23, 2023
My longtime fascination with folklore and all things weird eventually led me to the book oft-quoted on monster documentaries, and it's a pretty dang good read. Meant to entertain as much as inform, Coleman takes himself seriously and not-so-seriously as a cryptozoologist and lets the evidence and reports speak for themselves-- he is just here to write it all down. The book covers the essential weird tales of America through the reports gathered, with a bit of old tales sprinkled in for good measure. It's straight-forward, intriguing, and a ton of fun to read.
May 14, 2017
Loren Coleman is one of the world's leading and most recognised cryptozoologists and fortean investigators. Since the early 70s, Coleman has been delving into unusual creatures and events. The result is one of the most complete collections of accounts, stories, and opinions on everything from the Mad Gasser to Momo.
Although having read his articles, and having long wanted to visit the cryptozoology museum he is curator and owner of, this is the first of his books I have read. It was exciting, good humoured, and detailed without ever getting boring. The creatures, events, and history are all compartmentalised and introduced adequately, and never outstay their welcome. Whereas some would say in places he is in danger of dismissing some events, I feel that it is Coleman's loyalty to the facts that come into play here - if there is little more than hearsay to back it up, then don't expect much more than lip service from Coleman. His scientific and journalistic credentials do him considerable credit, and are evident throughout, with some everyman humour always keeping it company. Pretty much a perfect blend.
On occasion, there was a tendency to over-complicate some of the language, and in the few chapters this was evident, I felt it dulled the pace. I also felt there was a little too much self-crediting and name dropping. I much prefer the newer style of letting the story and witness take the centre stage. Who interviewed them, the discussions they had with other investigators, and so forth, are all - educated or not - opinion and guesswork. We are after all, dealing with creatures not proven to exist, with no type-specimen ever provided, and in events, phenomenons, and occurrences in the same boat of doubt. There are no experts in this field.
But that doesn't mean Coleman isn't an authority in this arena. He is, and has righty earned the respect of his peers through hard work, tireless investigation, and years of dedication. Mysterious America is a book nearly as famous and respected as its author, and it serves as a brilliant library and resource for (as the title puts it) weird wonders, strange spots, and creepy creatures.
Although having read his articles, and having long wanted to visit the cryptozoology museum he is curator and owner of, this is the first of his books I have read. It was exciting, good humoured, and detailed without ever getting boring. The creatures, events, and history are all compartmentalised and introduced adequately, and never outstay their welcome. Whereas some would say in places he is in danger of dismissing some events, I feel that it is Coleman's loyalty to the facts that come into play here - if there is little more than hearsay to back it up, then don't expect much more than lip service from Coleman. His scientific and journalistic credentials do him considerable credit, and are evident throughout, with some everyman humour always keeping it company. Pretty much a perfect blend.
On occasion, there was a tendency to over-complicate some of the language, and in the few chapters this was evident, I felt it dulled the pace. I also felt there was a little too much self-crediting and name dropping. I much prefer the newer style of letting the story and witness take the centre stage. Who interviewed them, the discussions they had with other investigators, and so forth, are all - educated or not - opinion and guesswork. We are after all, dealing with creatures not proven to exist, with no type-specimen ever provided, and in events, phenomenons, and occurrences in the same boat of doubt. There are no experts in this field.
But that doesn't mean Coleman isn't an authority in this arena. He is, and has righty earned the respect of his peers through hard work, tireless investigation, and years of dedication. Mysterious America is a book nearly as famous and respected as its author, and it serves as a brilliant library and resource for (as the title puts it) weird wonders, strange spots, and creepy creatures.
May 22, 2022
This book is a brief look at the ever-changing topic of unexplained phenomena. Loren Coleman covers a wide variety of mysterious appearances from alligators in non-tropical locations, strange looking monsters, lake monsters to large hairy creatures often known as Bigfoot. His volume of research is amazing. There have been several updated editions of this book. The one that I read is from 1983 so there has been a great deal of information added to the subject since that time in subsequent editions. Having more than a casual interest in the subject, I could see where today’s researchers got their inspiration. Many of the topics being examined can be found in the pages of Coleman’s books. I have been hearing Loren Coleman’s name mentioned for many years and I can happily say that I’ve had the privilege of meeting him and hearing he speak. That makes finally reading this book especially rewarding.
February 8, 2024
3.5/5
Solid read chock full of strange, creepy, and unexplainable sightings and encounters of the Fortean kind. My favorite chapters were the Phantom Clowns, the Mad Gasser, and I did love the stories of the Lions as well. But ultimately its a collection of stories, not so much a narrative, and it can feel like information overload at some times.
Loren Coleman (who met and signed my copy of this book many years ago) is a very smart man and probably the Einstein of cryptozoology. If you are interested in this topic at all, his books are the single best place to begin.
Solid read chock full of strange, creepy, and unexplainable sightings and encounters of the Fortean kind. My favorite chapters were the Phantom Clowns, the Mad Gasser, and I did love the stories of the Lions as well. But ultimately its a collection of stories, not so much a narrative, and it can feel like information overload at some times.
Loren Coleman (who met and signed my copy of this book many years ago) is a very smart man and probably the Einstein of cryptozoology. If you are interested in this topic at all, his books are the single best place to begin.
July 21, 2022
This was a fun and interesting read into strange happenings and creature accounts around the United States such as gators in the New York sewers, the Mad-Gasser attacks, black panthers in Illinois, and of course, Bigfoot across the country. Coleman doesn't get too in-depth on any one topic, which is the downfall of this book, but rather he glosses over many strange occurrences, which is cool in its own right. Fans of creepy happenings enjoy!
September 10, 2019
I enjoyed Coleman's book if only for his pragmatic discussion of cryptozoological entities running around through America's Heartland. At times the cataloguing of incidents grew tedious, but overall I found the book interesting and entertaining. I'm not convinced we have a phantom kangaroo issue plaguing us, but if anything I came away with some new book titles to track down.
January 11, 2022
What are we to make of these reports? I don't know...but I suppose if a man sees a Bigfoot, he sees a Bigfoot--no matter what the reality may be. I credit the author in this way: regarding any of the various phenomena, he never says, "This is what it has to be." A fun book. My dream is to eventually visit the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
August 3, 2017
Most authoritative
Coleman is as engaging in print as he is in person. With his scientific background, he examines each case with professionalism and diligence. He writes in a most enjoyable style!
Coleman is as engaging in print as he is in person. With his scientific background, he examines each case with professionalism and diligence. He writes in a most enjoyable style!
November 21, 2017
Mysterious America
I really enjoyed reading this book because Mr Coleman does a wonderful job of writing. He just does not say here but look at this evidence and this report and build from there.
I really enjoyed reading this book because Mr Coleman does a wonderful job of writing. He just does not say here but look at this evidence and this report and build from there.
Read
November 2, 2022A very good read
Mr Coleman does an excellent job of transitioning raw data into an easily understandable and compelling narrative. There's a lot to unpack in this book, and he makes it enjoyable!
Mr Coleman does an excellent job of transitioning raw data into an easily understandable and compelling narrative. There's a lot to unpack in this book, and he makes it enjoyable!
August 16, 2017
interesting
January 20, 2018
Good read but I tend to like the 1983 version of book.
Good book read it you be the judge. Always enjoyed stories like this not always knowing all the answers to world
Good book read it you be the judge. Always enjoyed stories like this not always knowing all the answers to world
July 22, 2018
I enjoy Coleman's books. This outing runs through some of the more common lores + cryptozoology + strange places.
February 24, 2019
Open your mind to the possibilities
Fascinating reading! Great author who shows you that believing in the unknown is ok. In fact, you may even be saner than the rest
Fascinating reading! Great author who shows you that believing in the unknown is ok. In fact, you may even be saner than the rest
March 23, 2021
Not great. Way too credulous, even for this type of book.
July 3, 2016
Maybe my youthful interest in cryptozoology and UFOs has fizzled more than a decade later, especially as I have done a great deal of serious reading in that time and work in a profession dedicated to getting the facts straight. I also see this has been on my To Read list for 6 years, probably after something else I was reading at the time referenced or recommended this book.
It's also important to note this is the 2007 softcover reprint of the 2001 updated edition of a book originally published in 1983 and it feels dated at times.
I'll commend the author for at least showing some skeptical restraint that many authors of such books lack. He's interested in the unusual, but he's not willing to buy every claim. However, the result is a great deal of "here's what someone said they say; make of it what you will." At times he just starts reeling off a names and dates of particular sightings.
The end result is an "ultimate guide" that isn't really much of a guidebook and it doesn't really try to prove or debunk anything. It feels like an unremarkable book of stuff.
It's also important to note this is the 2007 softcover reprint of the 2001 updated edition of a book originally published in 1983 and it feels dated at times.
I'll commend the author for at least showing some skeptical restraint that many authors of such books lack. He's interested in the unusual, but he's not willing to buy every claim. However, the result is a great deal of "here's what someone said they say; make of it what you will." At times he just starts reeling off a names and dates of particular sightings.
The end result is an "ultimate guide" that isn't really much of a guidebook and it doesn't really try to prove or debunk anything. It feels like an unremarkable book of stuff.
September 27, 2013
I enjoy reading about cryptozoology, and weird places where strange things have supposedly happened. I don't believe in the vast majority of it, but I do like reading what evidence / reports / etc there are in favor of such things having occurred.
This book is nice because it not only presents the sightings of a creature, but also talks about which accounts can be considered somewhat credible vs not really credible at all. That is a nice objectivity, instead of an author trying to convince you that all of these are really 100 percent for sure.
Some of these things make you wonder-- alligators in the sewers, super large snakes-- I kind of can see where that could happen. The New Jersey Devil (our local cryptoid) -- not so much, but it does make you wonder what people can be seeing that they think is the devil. And Phantom Clowns I had never heard of-- but geebus I really hope they don't exist.
There are some nice indexes in the back of the book, lists of resources for specific states, where ghost lights were spotted, indexes of various sightings etc.
This book is nice because it not only presents the sightings of a creature, but also talks about which accounts can be considered somewhat credible vs not really credible at all. That is a nice objectivity, instead of an author trying to convince you that all of these are really 100 percent for sure.
Some of these things make you wonder-- alligators in the sewers, super large snakes-- I kind of can see where that could happen. The New Jersey Devil (our local cryptoid) -- not so much, but it does make you wonder what people can be seeing that they think is the devil. And Phantom Clowns I had never heard of-- but geebus I really hope they don't exist.
There are some nice indexes in the back of the book, lists of resources for specific states, where ghost lights were spotted, indexes of various sightings etc.
September 9, 2016
You wanna know about "sudden clowns"? Then this is the book for you.... Plus, more Mothmen than you can shake a stick at!
June 14, 2008
LOVE. I know certain people don't get it, my love of cyptozoology and paranormal things. These are my American Gods, if I may borrow an idea from another book. Most of the Bigfoot and other legends are born and reborn again and again, similiar legends go back decades and even centuries. Some of them are bastardizations of old world legends brought over mb immigrants, and some are 100% American. The point is, the legends about certain cites and creatures and WHATEVER are so tied to the area they came from that it's just another part of the cultural and language of this country. And for some reason, I absolutely love learning about that kind of thing.
February 1, 2013
You may (or more likely do not) know that I engaged by the very notion of cryptids and unkown creatures. So it's no surprised I loved this book.
Coleman fills it with case studies from years of research from him and other colleagues. Then he leaves it up to the reader to decide what to believe. It's filled with topics on Bigfoot, lake monsters, maned felines, pumas, North American Apes, devil monkeys (kangeroo type creatures), The Jersey Devil, giant fish, giant snakes, and many other things.
A must read for fans of the subject
For more reviews go to my blog http://fringesofhorror.blogspot.com/
Coleman fills it with case studies from years of research from him and other colleagues. Then he leaves it up to the reader to decide what to believe. It's filled with topics on Bigfoot, lake monsters, maned felines, pumas, North American Apes, devil monkeys (kangeroo type creatures), The Jersey Devil, giant fish, giant snakes, and many other things.
A must read for fans of the subject
For more reviews go to my blog http://fringesofhorror.blogspot.com/
April 23, 2016
I admit I can be a bit of a skeptic although I enjoy reading about ghosts and the like. But to make a claim that Nile monitors "mysteriously" appearing in Florida had to have been teleported there is pure fantasy and irresponsible reporting. The creatures had to have been transported - not teleported - by humans - not extraterrestrials - either intentionally or by error and released into the wild. Needless to say, I did not finish the book.
December 26, 2010
I have a voracious interest in all things strange. What appealed to me about this was how much info about strange beasts, etc., were in Ohio, a state where you hear very li'l about re these topics. This is a great book for anyone who loves the weird and scary and those who like to write about those things.
August 25, 2012
This isn't the edition I have, but this book was hugely influential on me. It was the first real book on cryptozoology and Forteana I read (before Fort himself, even). It contains some nifty stuff on coincidental naming of some Fortean "hotspots." Some of my favorite sections of the book are those dealing with Momo, giant snakes, and spates of erratic kangaroos and cats.
February 7, 2009
Not only is this a fun read but something about this world we live in that we all don't know a lot about. Informative and very intriguing. A very engaging read.
February 12, 2009
Interesting book, but full of errors and comma splices that a good editor should have been able to spot.
February 24, 2009
One of the best books I've read on Cryptids.
March 20, 2010
Comprehensive, but Coleman or the publisher needs a new editor - I found grammatical errors (!)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews