Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #560277 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-16
• Released on: 1998-06-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.com Review
W. Haden Blackman preys on our more eccentric curiosities with his fact-filled Field Guide to North American Monsters. Even the monster-shy will find it hard not to smile when they read sidebars such as "What does bigfoot eat?" (Everything from acorns and honey to tadpoles and salmon.) Seriously and exhaustively researched, this guide covers more than 100 monsters in the following categories: hairy humanoids, lake monsters and sea serpents, flying monsters, dwarves and giants, cryptid animals (animals heretofore unknown to science), beastmen and beastwomen ("humanoids" with numerous animalistic features), supernatural monsters, and the not readily classifiable enigmatic entities such as the bogeymen, phantom felines, and the infamous Mad Gasser of Mattoon.

Gleaned from Native American legends, American folklore, and modern sightings, this is the first-ever collection cataloging the vast expanse of bizarre creatures inhabiting North America. Laid out like a field guide to birds or mammals, the book helps the reader become familiar with each monster through photos (when available), drawings, and each creature's vital statistics: distinguishing features, range and habitat, diet, the source reporting the monster, and a rating of the likelihood of spotting each creature in the wild.

An avid monsterologist, the author offers useful suggestions for pursuing this rare field of study, including advice for how to behave during a monster encounter and a thorough sample questionnaire to use when interviewing monster eyewitnesses. --Kathryn True

Customer Reviews

An entertaining read
I found this book to be an enjoyable read, however, if you are looking for serious research and a serious approach to the topics, this book will not do.

An entertaining look at American "monsters."
Much of the criticism surrounding this book centers on the fact that it is not "serious." One only has to look at the cover to realize that this is a tongue-in-cheek look at various monster legends in the U.S. In many ways, the book is a parody of other field guides - only this one is a field guide about monsters. I suspect that some other readers were offended because one interpretation of the book's intent is that it is poking fun at those on the fringes of cryptozoology.

I found the book to be entertaining. The book contains a mixture of information that some cryptologists would consider factual along with the author's own embellishments. It covers most of the monster legends in the U.S. and there were quite a few of them that I was unaware of.

There are many illustrations. Some of them were well done although a few looked like a grade school kid drew them. The book has an abridged bibliography and a glossary although there is no index. It also lists each states in the U.S. and describes which monsters are reported to live there.

If you enjoy reading about American folklore and urban legends then you will probably enjoy this book. If you spend your nights roaming around with a flashlight looking for Chupacabra then this book will probably annoy you.

A silly, uninformative, mishmash of a book.
The author mixes information on genuine cryptozoological phenomenona (bigfoot, lake monsters), with chapters on blatantly un-cryptozoological subjects like the Mattoon Gasser (who was either a human assailant or a figment of mass hysteria), the Flatwoods Monster and Mothman (both possibly related to UFO sightings), and, god help the reader, the Boogeyman. The book is very superficial; only a few pages are dedicated to each creature. (The typeface is large, there's plenty of white space on each page, and the book is padded with LOTS of pictures, most of which I have seen published elsewhere.) Adding to the general aura of ditziness, each creature has a numerical ranking telling how likely it is you will encounter it in the wild, information on where it is most likely to be found, and solemn advice on what to do if you DO run across it. This advice, paraphrased, usually amounts to "Don't make any sudden moves, don't get too close, be prepared to run, and remember THEY EAT PEOPLE!" (I'm sorry I can't offer exact quotes from the book; I threw my copy into the trash immediately after reading it.) This book might -- I emphasize MIGHT -- be suitable as a gift for a 10-12 year old who's just getting interested in fortean or cryptozoological material. But it would be a waste of money for an adult, or anyone who is already familiar with the subjects this book covers, to buy it. Spend your money on something by Karl Shuker, Loren Coleman, or Bernard Huevelmans instead.