The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence [Paperback]

Steuart Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

Does an ancient monster still lurk in the depths of Scotland's Loch Ness and what secrets may the mysterious loch hold? Scottish science writer Steuart Campbell surveys the eyewitness evidence, reviews the most notorious reports, exposes the falsehoods behind each alleged sighting, and much more in this definitive work on the subject. Photos .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...mixes a bit of open-mindedness with a healthy dose of good old-fashioned skepticism." -- Cryptozoology Review, Autumn 2004

About the Author

Steuart Campbell is a freelance science writer and author of The UFO Mystery Solved. He is a trained scientist and leading expert on the paranormal. He lives in Edinburgh. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573921785
• ISBN-13: 978-1573921787
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #779,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Brutish Debunking of Loch Ness Enigma, April 5, 2000

By 

P Harrison - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence (Paperback)

As a collector, and reader of books upon the Loch Ness Monster, this book is not one which I would recommend to readers with little or no knowledge of the subject. The author is highly skeptical of the existence of any such creature and debunks all available evidence. This is all well and good, however,in this reviewers opinion, he does on occasions dismiss too much information. Despite these objections, some of the authors criticism of evidence is quite properly and correctly deduced. But be warned, if you are looking for something to arbitarily explain the case facts, then this is not the volume for you. It is though, still a good read and a useful work to own to discover both sides of the argument.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Highly skeptical study of some value, November 10, 1999

By 

Mike Dash - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence (Paperback)

I have to point out that other reviews of this book on the Amazon site appear to have been written by people who have not actually read Campbell's work. This is, in fact, the most vigorously skeptical study of the Loch Ness Monster ever written. It is penned in a dry style peculiar to Campbell (who insists, for example, in referring to the monster throughout as 'N') and is more a reference work than a light read. Many of Campbell's points are excellent ones, but on the whole the book sufferes from being short - there is little room to be comprehensive, or develop arguments - and from the author's invincible belief in the correctness of his own opinions. This is not justified. His survey of the famous Surgeon's Picture, for example, has been shown to be incorrect by the recent and much more detailed study of Dave Martin and Alistair Boyd, and on the whole the earlier skeptical work of Ronald Binns (The Loch Ness Mystery Solved, 1983) is better balanced and more detailed. In sum, believers will hate this book; skeptics and the unconvinced will find it valuable, but will certainly not enjoy it as a work of literature.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly skeptical case study, June 17, 2000

By 

Terrence C. Tyrka (La Porte, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence (Paperback)

Being an examination of the evidence (or lack thereof in the author's opinion) for the Loch Ness monster, while interesting, this book falls short on a few points. First off, it's extremely scientific tone makes for dry reading, yet on the other hand seems brief for it's intended purpose of thoroughness. Also, despite making some very good points the author tends to dismiss some evidence for reasons that would require more suspension of reality than would belief in a monster. In one case in particular, Mr. Campbell goes on for some pages discussing a case of evidence and abruptly dismisses it by stating that he came upon "rumors" of a hoax, the details of which he doesn't even go into. All in all, whether you are a believer or not, this book is interesting reading if you can get past the dry anylitical tone of it. However, be prepared to use the evidence presented to form your own opinion rather than buy into the author's emphatic belief that there simply cannot be a monster. Having visited the Loch in person myself, and ironically enough, purchasing this very book at the Loch Ness Monster Exhibit, I find it very difficult to believe that someone could look into it's massive, murky depths and say with 100% certainty that there could not be something lurking below. But that is exactly what Mr. Campbell does with this book.