The All-Time 50 Best Bigfoot Books (1961-2014)

by Loren Coleman, Cryptozoologist and Author, Mysterious America, Cryptozoology A to Z, Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America, “Loren Coleman Presents” series from Cosimo Books, and other books.

In 2009, a Sasquatch scholar asked me what I might pick as my ten top Bigfoot books, including my own. I struggled but I came up with a list. With enhancements, I shared my choices back then with you.

The list below has grown and grown. Frankly, I find there are too many good, positive books about the nuts and bolts of Bigfootery to fit on one list of ten. It was a difficult chore to narrow the field down, so even though I expanded the length of the collection, I’m sure I have left out some fine texts.

The picks following are the result of my thoughtfully taking into account each of these books’ place in the early and recent discussions on the subject of Sasquatch/Bigfoot (not Yeti, Yowie, Yeren, or other hairy hominoids, please note), their contribution to furthering detailed analyses, their significance in initial theory treatments, and their historical/regional legacy (no matter about what the rest of the book might be). Each one is a nonfiction book and is reflective of the kind of Bigfoot work that goes on my reference shelf for years of use and re-use.

For example, Ivan T. Sanderson’s 1961 volume is the first book that comprehensively dealt with the folklore, sightings, and context of Sasquatch and Bigfoot in North America, in spite of its global title. There is no way it would not be my #1 Bigfoot book in these rankings. (BTW, it also is the first book to use any form of the word “cryptozoology” in print, in English, as far as I have been able to discover to date. I am waiting and willing to be proven wrong on this one. Sanderson used “crypto-zoological” in that book, on page 148 of the first edition. Of course, wildlife biologist Lucien Blancou, first used “cryptozoology” in print in 1959, in French, when he dedicated his book to “Bernard Heuvelmans, master of cryptozoology.” Heuvelmans would later write that Sanderson invented the term “cryptozoology.”)

A few of my selections, which are all in English, may surprise you, as they are from small publishing houses or privately printed. I didn’t let that deter me.

I did, however, have some strict guidelines for myself, in this massive revision of my first, smaller list of five years ago. No regional only Bigfoot books. A book has to contribute to a broader understanding of Sasquatch studies. I have excluded “ebook only” titles, as well as cryptofiction and juvenile books. As of 2014, in a radical move, there are no contactee/habituation books on this list. I have added a short list of scholarly skeptical Bigfoot books at the very end, in this expanded, updated 2014 list. All of the listed books are solidly claimed to be nonfiction, as noted already. (I did take the task of making this list to heart, and I know how good my own books are, in terms of research and information, so, of course, they are on the list too. Sorry if that offends certain people.)

My top ten Bigfoot/Sasquatch books are ranked in my order of importance. The next 40 books, which are much more than “honorable mentions,” please note, are in alphabetical order by author, for the middle 35. People are making too much from “where” their book is on the list. Being on the list is the key. Also, I have personally read 99% of the books on this list. If your book isn’t here, it might be great, but I’ve never seen it. (Mail a review copy to Loren Coleman, Director, International Cryptozoology Museum, 11 Avon Street, Portland, ME 04101.)

I hope the choices assist those folks who are attempting to build a good resource library of new and old Bigfoot books. Here we go…

Top Ten Bigfoot Books / Top Ten Bigfoot Books / Top Ten Bigfoot Books /Top Ten Bigfoot Books

1. Sanderson, Ivan T. Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1961; New York: Cosimo, 2008.

2. Green, John. Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us. Seattle: Hanover House, 1978 and 2006.

3. Krantz, Grover S. Big Footprints: A Scientific Inquiry Into The Reality Of Sasquatch. Boulder: Johnson Books, 1992. Bigfoot Sasquatch: Evidence. Seattle: Hancock House, 1999.

4. Markotić, Vladimir and Grover Krantz (eds), The Sasquatch and other Unknown Hominoids. Calgary, Alberta: Western Publishers, 1984.

5. Coleman, Loren. Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003.

6. Perez, Daniel. Bigfoot at Bluff Creek. Norwalk, CA: D. Perez Pub., 1994. Commemorative Edition, 2003.

7. Napier, John, Bigfoot: The Yeti and Sasquatch in Myth and Reality. London: Jonathan Cape, 1972.

8. Meldrum, Jeffrey. Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science. New York: Forge Books (Macmillan), 2006.

9. Murphy, Christopher. Meet the Sasquatch. Seattle: Hancock House, 2004. Know The Sasquatch/Bigfoot. Seattle: Hancock House, 2009.

10. Place, Marian T. On the Track of Bigfoot. New York: Dodd Mead, 1974. / Bigfoot: All Over the Country. New York: Dodd Mead, 1978.

The Other Good Ones… / The Other Good Ones… / The Other Good Ones… / The Other Good Ones…

11. Alley, J. Robert. Raincoast Sasquatch: The Bigfoot/Sasquatch Records of South-East Alaska, Coastal British Columbia & Northwest Washington from Puget Sound to Yakutat. Seattle: Hancock House, 2003.

12. Arment, Chad. The Historical Bigfoot. Landisville, PA: Coachwhip Publications, 2006.

13. Blackburn, Lyle. The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster. NY: Anomalist Books, 2012.

14. Bartholomew, Paul B. and Robert E. Bartholomew. Bigfoot Encounters in New York & New England. Seattle: Hancock House, 2006.

15. Bayanov, Dmitri. America’s Bigfoot: Fact, Not Fiction – U. S. Evidence, Verified in Russia. Moscow: Crypto-Logos, 1997.

16. Bayanov, Dmitri.  Bigfoot: To Kill or To Film? The Problem of Proof. Vancouver, BC: Pyramid Publications, 2001.

17. Bindernagel, John A. North America’s Great Ape: The Sasquatch. Courtenay, BC: Beachcomber Books, 1998.

18. Bindernagel, John A. The Discovery of the Sasquatch: Reconciling Culture, History, and Science in the Discovery Process

19. Bord, Janet and Colin. The Bigfoot Casebook. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1982. Bigfoot Casebook Updated: Sightings And Encounters from 1818 to 2004. Ravensdale, WA: Pine Woods Press, 2005.

20. Byrne, Peter. The Search for Bigfoot: Monster, Myth, or Man? Washington, D.C.: Acropolis, 1976.

21. Coleman, David. The Bigfoot Filmography: Fictional and Documentary Appearances in Film and Television McFarland, 2012.

22. Coleman, Loren and Patrick Huyghe. The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. / The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates. NY: Anomalist Books, 2006.

 

23. Coleman, Loren. Tom Slick and the Search for the Yeti. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1989. Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology. Fresno, CA: Linden Press, 2002.

24. Debant, Jean-Paul  Sasquatch/Bigfoot and the Mystery of the Wild Man: Cryptozoology & the Mythology in the Pacific Northwest  (translated by Paul LeBlond).

25. Gordon, David George. Field Guide to the Sasquatch. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 1992.

26. Green, John. Year of the Sasquatch; On the Track of Sasquatch; The Sasquatch Files. Harrison Hot Springs: Cheam Publishing, 1970, 1973, 1973.

27. Hall, Mark A. The Yeti, Bigfoot & True Giants. Minneapolis: MAHP, 1997.

28. Hall, Mark A. and Loren Coleman True Giants: Is Gigantopithecus Still Alive?  NY: Anomalist Books, 2010.

29. Halpin, Marjorie Myers and Ames, Michael M. (editors). Manlike Monsters On Trial: Early Records And Modern Evidence. Vancouver, British Columbia: The University Of British Columbia Press, 1980.

30. Heinselman, Craig (ed). Hominology Special Number I. NH: Heinselman, 2001. Hominology Special Number II. NH: Heinselman, 2002.

31. Hunter, Don and René Dahinden. Sasquatch. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1973. Dahinden, René and Don Hunter. Sasquatch/Bigfoot: The Search for North America’s Incredible Creature. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 1993.

32. Matthews, Rupert. Sasquatch: True-Life Encounters with Legendary Ape-Men. Chartwell: 2009.

33. Murphy, Christopher. Sasquatch in British Columbia Seattle: Hancock House, 2012.

34. Newton, Michael. When Bigfoot Attacks UK: CFZ, 2011.

35. Patterson, Roger. Do Abominable Snowmen of America Really Exist? Yakima, WA: Franklin Press, 1966.

36. Quasar, Gian J. Recasting Bigfoot: Uncovering the Truth About Sasquatch Amidst the Hype of Bigfoot, Quasar, 2010.

37. Quast, Mike. Big Footage: A History of Claims for the Sasquatch on Film. Moorhead, MN: Quast Publications, 2001. The Sasquatch in Minnesota, Moorhead, MN: Quast Publications, 2012.

38. Shackley, Myra. Still Living? Yeti, Sasquatch and the Neanderthal Enigma. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1983.

39. Slate, B. Ann and Alan Berry. Bigfoot. NY: Bantam Books, 1976.

40. Sprague, Roderick and Grover Krantz (eds). The Scientist Looks at the Sasquatch (and II). Moscow, Idaho: The University Press of Idaho, 1977, (II) 1979.

41. Steenburg, Thomas. Sasquatch, Bigfoot: The Continuing Mystery. Seattle: Hancock House, 1993.

 

42. Steenburg, Thomas. In Search of Giants: Bigfoot Sasquatch Encounters. Seattle: Hancock House, 2000.

43. Strain, Kathy Moskowitz. Giants, Cannibals & Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture. Seattle: Hancock House, 2008.

44. Strasenburgh, Gordon R. Jr. Paranthropus: Once and Future Brother. Arlington, VA: The Print Shop, 1971.

45. Tchernine, Odette. The Snowman and Company UK: Hale, 1961/In Pursuit of the Abominable Snowman. New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1971. (Like Ivan T. Sanderson’s book, these works contain some of the earliest treatments of North American Bigfoot/Sasquatch reports.)

 

Top Skeptical Books on Bigfoot

46. Buhs, Joshua Blu. Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009.

47. Daegling, David J. Bigfoot Exposed: An Anthropologist Examines America’s Enduring Legend. AltaMira Press, 2004.

48. McLeod, Michael. Anatomy of a Beast: Obsession and Myth on the Trail of Bigfoot. University of California Press, 2009.

49.  Regal, Brian. Searching for Sasquatch: Crackpots, Eggheads, and Cryptozoology. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

50. Wylie, Kenneth. Bigfoot: A Personal Inquiry into a Phenomenon. NY: Viking Press, 1980.

 

 

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Amusingly, the photograph of those Bigfoot books on a shelf are not from my library but one that I found randomly on the Internet. The image is to be credited to a general all-purpose used bookseller located in California, with the name The Book Juggler. I have to say, I approve of their inventory!!

So there you have it. My best of the best, fifty Sasquatch/Bigfoot selections for your consideration.

If you would like to buy Loren Coleman-autographed books, mail-ordered to you, with the money going directly to the 501(c)3 tax exempt International Cryptozoology Museum, please search here for those you wish to buy. None of the money goes to Loren Coleman, but to the Museum. Thank you.

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