Books about cryptozoology?

May 13, 2009 11:57 AM

I'd like some recommendations for books about cryptozoology. A broad overview of the subject would be welcome, but I'd prefer books that are more specific to a single kind of creature, like lake monsters, Bigfoot, yetis, the Jersey Devil, Mothman, or any other fantastical creatures.

I really don't want anything about the Loch Ness monster (but other lake monsters would be fine). I grew up in a wee village a few miles from Loch Ness, so, as you can imagine, I've had more than enough Nessie to last me a lifetime.

I'm not looking for books that debunk this kind of thing - I'm already a skeptic, I just think monsters are cool.

posted by spockette to writing & language (10 comments total)

Not specifically cryptozoology, but it does cover and debunk reports of little green men very well -- Watch the Skies: A Chronicle of the Flying Saucer Myth.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:59 AM on May 13

You want this: On the Track of Unknown Animals, a book of cryptozoology by Bernard Heuvelman. Check out these other volumes by the same author.
posted by halogen at 12:01 PM on May 13

Not a book, but I'm a (skeptical!) fan of Fortean Times. We buy ours through a subscription at our comics shop, but some of the larger chain bookstores carry it too.

Monsters are cool, and I want to say here, for the record: bigfoot is the new zombie.
posted by JoanArkham at 12:23 PM on May 13

Faeries recently released a 25th anniversary addition. It's beautifully illustrated and has everything from cute little sprites to giant ugly ogres.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:36 PM on May 13

A good overview of the Pacific Northwest Bigfoot legend by a professional naturalist – Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide by Robert Michael Pyle.
posted by malchick at 12:44 PM on May 13

I have this book about the Sea Serpent of Gloucester (MA), but I haven't read it yet. It has primary sources, so that's cool.
posted by lampoil at 1:25 PM on May 13

I know the author of Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology and I think it's a terrific, albeit expensive book that perhaps you can interlibrary loan from your local library.
posted by jessamyn at 1:36 PM on May 13

Not a book, but Cryptomundo is a big resource and maybe there are some books referenced there. This is their books tag. (Pretty sure that is mefi's own cryptomundo, BTW, though I can't recall the username)
posted by Rumple at 4:09 PM on May 13

As far as Bigfoot-Yeti goes, I'm familiar with most of the books on the subject. Since I'm a skeptic on the subject, what I'd recommend would be from an aesthetic-historical angle.

Strangely, my favorite book on the subject I don't have a copy of! First choice would be Chris Murphy's Meet the Sasquatch. Like jessamyn, the author is an associate of mine, so I have a bias here, but it is unarguably the best illustrated of all the books out there. I understand Murphy is coming out with an updated version, entitled Know the Sasquatch, though only 150 copies are to be printed, each at a cost of $150 (!!!!) Full disclosure; I contributed a section to Know the Sasquatch.

Thom Powell's The Locals is a great read. Thom's views on the subject border on the paranormal, which makes him something of a controversial figure within Bigfootery, which is par for the course in any "fringe" subculture. I've had Internet flame wars with him, but the last time I saw him in person we got on just fine and he let me photograph a cast of his that I genuinely believe exhibits dermal ridges. A shape-shifter with dermal ridges, hmmmm.....

As far as the Yeti goes, I HIGHLY recommend Reinhold Messner's My Quest for the Yeti. An engrossing tale, which embodies TRUE cryptozoology, and not pseudoscience.
posted by Tube at 9:26 PM on May 13

One that sticks out in my mind is "A Living Dinosaur?" by Roy MacKal, and about Mokele Mbebe. Of course, they never find it, but it's an interesting read into a scientific cryptoz search.

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Dinosaur-Search-Mokele-Mbembe/dp/9004085432
posted by razdrez at 4:43 PM on May 14