New Cryptozoology Books From The CFZ

As part of its ambitious plan to re-publish all of its early (and largely now-hard-to-find) self-published books of the mid-to-late 1990s and of the first couple of years of this century, the British-based Center for Fortean Zoology has just re-released four of its older titles.

The books in question are professionally repackaged versions of the CFZ Yearbooks for 1997; 1998; 2000/2001; and 2002.

I haven't had chance to read them all yet; however, they collectively contain excellent papers and articles on some notable subjects, including: (1) the Big Gray Man of Ben MacDhui; (2) Cryptozoology at the movies; (3) the mysterious monkeys of Hong Kong; (4) Morgawr, the sea-dragon; (5) the legend of Boggy Creek; (6) the controversy surrounding stories of still-living dinosaurs; (7) the Lambton Worm; (8) Puerto Rico's Chupacabras; (9) giant crocodiles; (10) an A to Z of water-monsters; and much more.

For those that didn't have chance to get these books when they were first published, this is a great opportunity to do so now. And if you invest in all four titles, for a very reasonable price you get nearly 800 pages of material that is guaranteed to keep you interested for a very long time!

Here's the links to the books:

The CFZ Yearbook 1997;
The CFZ Yearbook, 1998;
The CFZ Yearbook, 2000/1;
The CFZ Yearbook, 2002.

The Big Book of Werewolves

I received in the mail this morning a copy of Timothy Green Beckley's Big Book of Werewolves (subtitled: In Reality! In Folklore! In Cinema! And in Lust!).

Tim had asked me if I was willing to be interviewed for the book - on the subject of my werewolf-based investigations in the UK.

I told Tim, that yes, I certainly was.

And now the book is available for one and all. Although my copy arrived today, Tim sent me a PDF version a few weeks ago, and having thoroughly digested it at the time, I can tell you that if you're a werewolf fanatic, you're definitely gonna want this one.

Why? Well, it includes (A) an excellent article from Brad Steiger titled The Terrible Hungers of real-Life Vampires, Werewolves and Ghouls; (B) a great interview with the United States' premier werewolf author, Linda Godfrey; (C) a lengthy section on werewolves in the movies; (D) some great werewolf-themed posters, and old drawings and wood-cuts; and (E) Sabine Baring-Gould's classic The Book of Were-Wolves.

Informative, insightful, thought-provoking and packed with information on all-things howling and hairy. Best read (of course) by the light of a full moon!

Mystery Animals - In Print

I received in the mail yesterday a copy of the Center for Fortean Zoology's newest book: Mystery Animals of the British Isles: Northumberland and Tyneside by Mike Hallowell.

I haven't read all of Mike's book yet; however, I did spend last night reading the chapter titled The Beast of Bolam Lake.

As I have noted at my Man-Beast UK blog previously, the story of the Bolam Beast is truly one of the strangest "British Bigfoot" cases to have occurred in the last few years, and is one that culminated in a bizarre encounter for CFZ Director, Jon Downes.

Over the last few years, various people have written online and in-print articles and in-print articles on the Beast of Bolam, but now, thanks to Mike Hallowell, you get the definitive story - in a 39-page chapter, no less.

Comprehensive, packed with data, case reports, eye-witness testimony, and much more, this chapter alone makes the book well worth buying - and for anyone and everyone with an interest in accounts of the British Bigfoot it's essential reading.

As soon as I've finished reading the whole book, I'll be reviewing it right here.

Linda Godfrey's Werewolves

Last week I received in the mail a review copy of Linda Godfrey's latest book: Werewolves. As many of you will know, Linda has already written two excellent books on all things wolfish, hairy and monstrous: The Beast of Bray Road and Hunting the American Werewolf.

Well, now you have the chance to get your teeth (and claws maybe...?) into her new title. Published by Chelsea House, it's one of a series of books that the company has published under its "Mysteries, Legends and Unexplained Phenomena" banner (the other titles in the series are Astrology and Divination; ESP, Psychokinesis, and Psychics; UFOs and Aliens; and Ghosts and Haunted Places.

With that said, I finished reading the book last night, and I can certainly say that it's an excellent addition to Linda's werewolf-driven output. Written in a bright, entertaining and easy to read style, the book is one that can be devoured by students of Linda's previous works, and newcomers to the subject, too.

In its pages you'll find much on (A) the history, folklore and legends pertaining to werewolves; (B) theories on what they might or might not be (such as literal werewolves, paranormal entities; unknown animals; constructs of the human mind; and more); (C) a wealth of credible reports of encounters with apparent werewolves across the United States and overseas; (D) details of Linda's own investigations in her home-state of Wisconsin; (E) the essential tools of the trade that you'll need if you are thinking of going on a werewolf hunt; (F) a good resource section on werewolves in print, in the movies, and on the Net; and (G) a time-line that spans the centuries and reveals some of the most significant cases and moments in werewolf lore.

If you haven't read any books on werewolves in the real world, as opposed to purely in the domain of fiction, this book is a great place to start.

And if you're already a big fan of Linda's work (and if you're not already, then why not?!) you will be as informed, intrigued and entertained by Werewolves as you were by her previous titles.

Here's the link for more data on the book, and how to purchase your own copy, etc.