Bigfoot Across America (Paperback)

~ Philip Rife (Author)
Key Phrases: nighttime encounter, bare footprints, Pacific Coast, Mid Atlantic States, Mountain West (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This highly-readable, state-by-state guide to hundreds of the most dramatic Bigfoot encounters will likely convince you there really are a race of mysterious giants living among us.

About the Author

Philip L. Rife is also author of AMERICA'S LOCH NESS MONSTERS (available from iUniverse.com)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (November 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595143148
• ISBN-13: 978-0595143146
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 stars and that's being generous, February 9, 2004

By	R. Howell "boriskhan" (Medford, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you have a small interest in the phenomenon of bigfoot, this is most likely the book for you. If you have any greater interest the subject, this book could added to your collection but overall, it's mediocre at best and pretty bland.

The book nearly kills itself if you take a look at the references to the near 400 sightings the author cites. Of the 399 sightings that Rife collects, nearly half (about 175) of them are from "internet postings" so who knows how valid they may be. He also gleams subject matter from magazines like Fate and Saga and numerous UFO magazines. He continues on by snipping from other peoples work. The author doesn't offer any personal thoughts and the inclusion of the stories lacks any luster to them as he glazes over the purported occurances. Rife makes no claims to actually validating any of the stories, meaning he apparently just gleamed them off of websites with no apparent research or interviews with the actual "witnesses".

Rife pretty much follows a systematic and rather boring format throughout the book by basically covering every state in America and giving 3-8 occurrences for each state. The books text is only 183 pages cover 399 sightings ... do the math. A vast majority of the recountings are barely five sentences long and are often a simple three line paragraph. The book has no apparent research, interviews, or in depth interest in the matter of bigfoots. The stories seem to central on three encounter types: the 'peeping tom' bigfoot, 'car bouncing' sasquatch, and the 'roadside runaway' creatures.

Sadly, throughout the book, Rife seems to focus on very aggressive and hostile bigfoots that charge, attack, and menace people. There are an awful lot of stories ending with the 'victims' taking potshots at the creatures with their guns. The sasquatches throughout the book vary little in description, almost like the author used the words "black brown hairy manlike ape seven feet tall" in a search engine and then gathered up the hits.

There's just too many Internet posting reference stories in here to make this a valid book for any type of research. There's no original thought and the stories lack credibility. Virtually anyone (even you) could have "written" this book if you had access to a computer by using a search engine for bigfoot stories. Rife is also extremely careful not to mention any names even though any bigfoot enthusiast will easily recognize numerous stories... maybe he was avoiding some copyright or permission to use someone's name.

Overall, if you want a lot of simple encounter stories that may or may not be true, then get the book. If you want something on which to base an in depth thought provoking research, skip it. You definitely don't want to use this book as a basis for any type of research paper, as a many of the reports are internet postings. Good for your bigfoot book collection, not good for any stimulating reading.

Sorry for the beating I gave you Mr. Rife

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, January 19, 2003

By A Customer

Can it be, only 183 pages for this price in a self-published book that uses so many internet sources, takes from others' works, robotically organizes by states and dates, and hardly any thoughts from the author?

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating! A must-read book, July 27, 2001

By	Lisa Shiel "Bigfoot researcher / author of 'T... (Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For anyone even mildly interested in Bigfoot -- whether believer, skeptic, or on the fence -- Rife's book provides an intriguing and thoroughly engrossing look at accounts of Bigfoot encounters. It's fascinating to see how people react differently to the incidents -- some immediately run away, others are frozen, and a few actually run toward the creatures!

I never realized how widespread Bigfoot encounters are. Rife provides accounts from 48 states (only Rhode Island and Hawaii have no tales) and recounts them through well-written narrative as well as direct quotes from the witnesses. Whatever your opinion about Bigfoot, these accounts will surely leave you with a tingle down your spine.