Reviews

Apes In Green Hell: Racism and Revisions

Dr. Karl Shuker has written numerous articles and several major books devoted to cryptozoological topics. One of his earliest books is the classic like Mystery Cats of the World (1989). But today, I do not speak of felines. He also wrote other books that have become favorites of cryptozoologists, such as Extraordinary Animals Worldwide (1991), The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (1993), From Flying Toad to Snakes with Wings (1997) and, acting jointly as consultant and contributor, Man and Beast (1993). During the 21st Century, Shuker has undertaken the revising and updating of many of [...]

Prehistoric Cryptofiction

Walter Williams* in his Prehistoric Pulp blog’s essay, “Raising the Dead: Bringing back extinct animals in fiction,” has given us a trek through what the blogger calls “paleontological fiction.” Some of us here might view what he overviews as a form of “cryptofiction.” No matter what you call it, his exercise is fun reading. In its essence, Williams shares a collection of online reviews and thoughts about these books. At its core, however, it’s a fan survey that reads with undercurrents of enjoyment and passion. Go to the link itself (given above) to fully digest where these are taking you, [...]

One Way or the Otter, Radford/Nickell X-Files-Labeled

Don Getty, River Otters, Grand Tetons. Used with full permission of Mr. Getty. The photograph does not, however, appear in Ben’s and Joe’s book from last year. Would it have helped lessened the blow of this review against their flank? One would expect that the respected Journal of Folklore Reseach at Indiana University would come down on the side of Benjamin Radford’s and Joe Nickell’s recent skeptical book, Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures. It turns out it didn’t work out that way, and the journal, instead, found the book had shortcomings. Did Ben and Joe receive [...]

Cryptofiction and Coelacanth Scales: Sterling E. Lanier Dies

Sterling Edmund Lanier, 79, who just died in Sarasota, Florida, harkens back to an era of early cryptozoologists and adventurers. Lanier worked as an editor at Chilton Books in the 1960s, alongside Ivan T. Sanderson, also an editor at Chilton. Chilton Books in 1961 published Sanderson’s famous book, Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life. Sanderson and Lanier moved in similar natural history and publishing circles for a few years. Lanier wrote the foreword for one of Sanderson’s friends, Roger A. Caras’ 1964 Chilton-published book, Dangerous to Man; Wild Animals A Definitive Study of Their Reputed Dangers to Man. Born in [...]