Posted by: Loren Coleman on December 21st, 2008
Top New Cartoon of 2008 honors go to CryptoZooey (example, above) by Steve Troop
Top Ten Cryptozoology Books of 2008
by Loren Coleman, Cryptozoology A to Z
This gathering encompasses the top picks for books published in 2008, specifically detailing various aspects of the field of cryptozoology (the study of unknown, hidden, and as yet to be verified animals).
In general, it was a thin year for new and original titles and a good twelve months for reprints of classic books. With the exception of the rare notables, 2008 was a disappointment in terms of innovative book-length analyses of individual cryptids (the animals that are the focus of cryptozoology).
The present state of instant publishing, sadly, has resulted in so-called cryptozoology books being printed that contain passages like this one: “Some of the more famous cryptids include the following: Bigfoot, Sasquatch, The Yetti [sic], The Yowie, The Lock [sic] Ness Monster (‘Nessie’).”
Unfortunately, without good editors, more books like that unnamed example may start popping up in the future. But those won’t be mentioned on my lists and hopefully they will fade away. Readers do the final weeding out, and these suggestions are merely my gleaming of the finer tomes that have made it to my reading lamp.
Therefore, here listed are my top choices, from the copies of credible books sent or purchased for review. Please note, each book is acknowledged and noted for a speciality unto itself.
My congratulations to the hard-working researchers and authors who compiled these winners.
#1 – Cryptozoology Book of the Year – Best Cryptid Book of the Year
Read more about this book here.
# 2 – Bigfoot Book of the Year
The Hoopa Project by David Paulides
# 3 – Sasquatch History Books of the Year (tie)
Giants, Cannibals & Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture by Kathy Moskowitz Strain
Bigfoot Encounters in New York & New England by Paul B. Bartholomew & Robert E. Bartholomew
#4 – Mystery Cat Book of the Year
Big Cats in Britain Yearbook 2008 by Mark Fraser
#5 – Yeti Book of the Year
Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life by Ivan T. Sanderson
#6 – Expedition Books of the Year (three-way tie)
There’s Something in the Woods by Nick Redfern
CFZ Expedition Report: Guyana 2007 by The Centre for Fortean Zoology
#7 – Cryptozoology Field Guide of the Year
Monster Hunt: The Guide to Cryptozoology by Rory Storm
#8 – Historical Cryptozoology Book of the Year
In the Wake of Bernard Heuvelmans by Michael A Woodley
#9 – Academic Cryptozoology Book of the Year
#10 – Cryptozoology Art Book of The Year
Beasts!: Book Two by Jacob Covey
Werewolf Books of the Year
Werewolves by Linda S. Godfrey and Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Notable Cryptofiction Titles
The Devil’s Ridge by Andre Bergeron
The Ape Cave Horror: The Sasquatch Encounters Two by Clint Romag
Books not received cannot be read, reviewed, and referred for a spot on the annual lists. Please forward copies of your books to the address below. Separate cryptofiction and children’s book listings may be forthcoming, if more submissions appear to warrant a fuller selection process.
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International Cryptozoology Museum
c/o Loren Coleman
PO Box 360
Portland, ME 04112
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Happy New Year!
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.