Bigfoot! : The True Story of Apes in America by Loren Coleman
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Book Reviews of Bigfoot! : The True Story of Apes in America
Book Review: Good Sourcebook for Beginner or veteran Bigfoot enthusiast
Summary: 5 Stars
Loren Coleman, America's reigning cryptozoologist, studies, collects information and pursues wildlife that are not-yet-discovered by the legitimate scientific community.
Books about the supernatural usually read like newspaper clippings strung together with the occasional "Gee whiz, holy mackerel can you believe it?" side remarks from the author.
Coleman has evolved beyond that style. He remains excited about the subject, and succeeds with this book on a level where he hasn't before. He weaves the historical accounts together with a writer's skill, excellent research, and honest reporting to produce a readable and informative history of the elusive beast.
He starts the book by comparing Bigfoot to other cryptid primates (yeti, almas, Yowie, etc.) and follows with an interesting retelling of Sasquatch history in North America, from Indian legends to pioneer accounts. His use of Native American history is as good as anthropological monographs in the research and connections he makes to present the Case for Bigfoot.
Along the way he presents the most comprehensive version of the `Minnesota Iceman' that I've ever read, as well as a final chapter to the famed 'Jacko' story. Well-rendered retellings of all the classic encounters--the 1958 Bluff Creek flap, the Patterson-Gimlin movie, and a thoroughly researched version of the 'Ape Canyon' saga.
Coleman does an excellent job in painting a picture of the diverse `brotherhood' of modern Bigfoot hunters. The remote locations and difficult terrain was obstacle enough to seek the beast. But possibly the greatest obstacle in the search for the mystery hominid were the Bigfoot groups' bitter rivalries and petty disagreements.
If you're going to read one decent book on the Sasquatch, I recommend you read this one first.
Book Review: A must read!
Summary: 5 Stars
I must say, this is THE best book on Bigfoot I have ever read. All of the others (by Green, Sanderson, Dahinden, et. al.) are dated and tell of the Sasquatch scene up to the late 70's. In 1985 I wrote John Green a letter asking him if anything was still going on in the Bigfoot world. In his response he says, "I have not written anything about sasquatch reports outside the western states and B.C. since 1977, and nothing at all since 1980, so I can't fill your request for recent information. Books on sasquatch no longer sell, so none are likely to be published." He goes on to give the address for the Bigfoot Co-Op adding, "Unfortunately, they do not receive many reports any more. Public and media interest has dried up and few reports circulate."Coleman's book brings the last 20 years up to date. What makes it especially thrilling is that thanks to my participation, or lurking, on the Internet Virtual Bigfoot Conference, the events and stories related in the book were not things that happened years ago across the continent but events that I read about as they happened. For example: Dr. Johnson at the Oregon Caves, the Skookum cast and the Myakka photo.
If you are already well versed in the "classic" stories, his detailed accounts of all the players in the '58 Bluff Creek affair turned out to be full of interesting tidbits and surprises and shed a whole new light on the story. I finally have a full understanding of Ray Wallace and his part in Bigfoot lore. Chapter 15, "The Bigfooters" helped me get straitened out on who was who - sometimes the names and websites can get confusing.
If you want to read up on what's been happening in the Bigfoot world in the last twenty years, this book is a must.
Book Review: Hominds and logic...the rational view
Summary: 5 Stars
'Bigfoot', the very word brings forward an image of a hundred grainy snapshots of men bumbling around in monkey suits, blatantly faked footprints and a thousand lurid stories ususally found in 'the Enquirer'. So any reputable scientist generally can dismiss the whole thing as summer sunshine. I was a skeptic myself before I read this book. But the vexing problem is there has been credible sights of 'something' in the woods that are none of the above things. Credible people seeing incredible things. So what is this all about?'Hominds' have been sighted repeatedly in every state in the US and the provinces of Canada. There are the ubiquitous footprints, snapshots, movie film, (...)matter, nests as well as the numerous visual sightings. There have also, unfortunately, been enough fakes scams fabrications and hoaxes to frustrate even the most objectively minded reader.
Loren Coleman is a noted investigator and cyptobiologist. He objectively reviews the truly mysterious cases (there are more then the average reader might think) as well as the 'tainted' cases and even the (...)evidence. There is a logical breakdown and classification of the different 'groups'(species) of the hominds with examples of sightings. This book is well researched yet very readable for the layman.
I will freely admit that I don't quite know what to think of "Bigfoot" but this book has convinced me that there is a distinct possibility that such a creature or creatures could still exist. Mr Coleman argues a good case here and I would recommend this book to the objective reader.
Book Review: Important contribution to the study of Bigfoot
Summary: 5 Stars
Loren Coleman has once again done a service to all who are interested in the subject of Bigfoot in particular and cryptozoology in general. This book is very readable, and accomplishes several worthy goals. It concisely summarizes and updates the field of "Sasquatchery", provides key historical evidence, and convincingly answers several important questions, such as "why hasn't anyone found a dead bigfoot". It also answered a personal question I had about the objectivity of Roger Patterson, the man who captured the best piece of bigfoot evidence to date, the Patterson-Gimlin film. The fact that Mr. Coleman doesn't shy away from controversial topics, such as "Sex and the Single Sasquatch", lends even more credibility to this natural phenomenon.The only criticisms I have of the book are minor ones...I wish there had been more space dedicated to (and contact information for) the other Bigfoot researchers out there, some of whom have produced excellent books themselves, such as Thomas Steenburg, author of "In Search of Giants Bigfoot Sasquatch Encounters". Also, the book would have been even more helpful if the addresses of some of the most credible Bigfoot/cryptozoology websites were included in an appendix, such as those of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization, the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, etc.
Overall, this is a great book, both for those who know nothing about Bigfoot and for experts on the subject. Mr. Coleman has made a seminal contribution to the field.
Book Review: Bigfoot! : The True Story of Apes in America
Summary: 5 Stars
For the hardcore researcher or the week end Bigfoot fan, this book is certainly the motherload! In my 40 some years of collecting books about cryptids, no one has come along quite like Loren Coleman. His style of writing is clear and even laced with a sense of humor on occasion. Mr. Coleman is second to none in how he gathers data and archives it into the wonderful books he writes. This one is no different in that it is the Bigfoot Bible. While a few of the case studies have been written about before, Mr. Coleman has a much more vivid and easy moving style than ever before seen in their coverage. It's also interesting to see reports previously not addressed anywhere. It feels like he is actually talking with the reader rather than at them. There are only so many Bigfoot cases to cover and Mr. Coleman doesn't invent new ones in an attempt to be sensational. For those who want new pretend Bigfoot stories, I would suggest the National Enquirer or the internet.
Those who have never read Mr. Coleman's works will find this book to be the perfect jumping in point. A lifetime of passion and research shine through and there is a little bit of that magic feeling on every page: that feeling that brings out the awe of childhood. This book is perfectly orchestrated by Mr. Coleman in it's balance of hard facts and the presentation of a truly great sense of wonder. If given a choice of only one book on Bigfoot, this is clearly the hands down one I'd pick.