Customer Reviews

Bigfoot! : The True Story of Apes in America

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

'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.

Through the years I've read many published articles and books in regards to this enigmatic creature. They were good to say the least but were missing vital ingredients, i.e., "The Story Behind the Story." This is where Loren Coleman comes in and fills in the missing pieces. He digs further into these accounts and we get a much clearer picture of important facts and details that other authors ignored,neglected or
inadverdantly left out. There is no glossing over or added embellishments to placate those in need of sensationalism.

Overall this book is a great read and relief from the canned gibberish that emanates from the so-called Bigfoot "experts"
whose sites proliferate the Internet. Like Joe Friday of Dragnet fame use to say,"Just the facts,ma'am."

Everything you ever wanted to know about America's numero uno mystery creature is right here. It's a personal, well organized overview, from its history to the present day. Should answer just about any question you might have on the subject. Easily the best book I've read on the subject.

It really is too bad that one specific inappropriate review has been left up here. Of course Loren Coleman has done fieldwork (in 49 states of the USA, Canada & Mexico), interviewed hundreds of eyewitnesses, and spent long hours in libraries and archival files discovering the material that went into this book and the others I've written. A few folks would rather deal in spreading mistruths about personalities than untaking the difficult zoological hunt for Bigfoot. So be it. It is part of the story of this field, sadly.

As the editor of this book, I feel I should point out that most of this book's 288 pages concerns Bigfoot and the people passionately interested in this creature. A previous reader's admittedly "minor quibble" pointing out an error on one page about what "ruffed grouse sounds like" is a poor reason to dock two stars from a book review. Coleman's work is the best book available on Bigfoot both for people who know very little about the subject and for "insiders" looking for insights into the mystery from one of the field's most active investigators.

This latest work from Loren Coleman is another excellent edition to the field. A well rounded look at a fascinating subject with sections looking at past history, the latest evidence and a section of specualtion and extrapolation. An excellent written and researched book including a top twenty of where to see the beast, an excellent bibliography and a lsit of where to get your very own Bigfoot foot print casts. Thoroughly recommended for the novice bigfooter as well as the established field cryptozoologist.

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.

I read my first "bigfoot book" in the third grade and this one tops every one I've read since that eye opening day. Coleman not only recaps important historical events and encounters, but offers fresh perspective on the origins of the name "bigfoot", the effect the media has had in spreading the legend, and humorous stories on the sexual traits and behaviour of sasquatch. A "must read" for those interested in the subject, as obviously lots of research and fieldwork went into this book. My only minor complaint: more pictures would have been nice.

This book shares a passion that I've had since childhood. Everytime I go hiking, camping or hunting I always have and still wonder what lurks beyond the forest depths; every sound and smell that seems out of the norm makes me think of the possibility that Bigfoot is nearby watching my every move! Sometimes I get goose bumps just thinking of the day when this will come true and I finally can set my mind at ease, but I have plenty of patience for this to play out. So in the meantime, I can thank Mr. Coleman for sharing his passion and allowing us fellow Bigfooters to go along with him on his exciting trek, knowing that his book will have to do until that day comes true! I highly recommend this book to all!!!

Ken Tambellini ~~