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Bigfoot: True-Life Encounters with Legendary Ape-Men
Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yowie, Yeti... the idea that monstrous man-apes lurk in the remote forests and high mountain valleys of the world is an enduring and popular one. Hardly a week goes by without some report of a fresh encounter.
In 1793 the Boston Gazette reported a sighting of what the Cherokee call a ‘chickly cuddly’ or ‘hairy man thing’. In 1818 the Watchman recorded the visit of a ‘Wild Man of the Woods’. Ever since, hundreds of eyewitness accounts of a giant, elusive beast that stands upright on its hindlegs have come flooding in.
One creature was seen trying to catch a calf in a farmer’s field; a group of them used rocks to pound the walls of a remote cabin. More recently, four teenagers in rural America were startled when a huge hairy creature landed on the roof of their car.
Complete with remarkable photos and illustrations, Bigfoot takes a fresh look at the man-apes reported to exist in North America, South America, Australia, the Himalayas and Central Asia. It examines historic sightings as well as up-to-date ones – and poses the crucial question: are they really out there?
In 1793 the Boston Gazette reported a sighting of what the Cherokee call a ‘chickly cuddly’ or ‘hairy man thing’. In 1818 the Watchman recorded the visit of a ‘Wild Man of the Woods’. Ever since, hundreds of eyewitness accounts of a giant, elusive beast that stands upright on its hindlegs have come flooding in.
One creature was seen trying to catch a calf in a farmer’s field; a group of them used rocks to pound the walls of a remote cabin. More recently, four teenagers in rural America were startled when a huge hairy creature landed on the roof of their car.
Complete with remarkable photos and illustrations, Bigfoot takes a fresh look at the man-apes reported to exist in North America, South America, Australia, the Himalayas and Central Asia. It examines historic sightings as well as up-to-date ones – and poses the crucial question: are they really out there?
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 1, 2025
I read this book because one, I was curious to read a book about the many theories on if Bigfoot exists or not and two, I'm currently taking Cryptozoology course and 3 lessons are on Bigfoot so this will come in handy.
I found the beginning half of the book very compelling and interesting. So many great claims of people saying they saw a giant creature while there are just as many false claims and hoaxes. I 100% believe in the Patrerson tape after reading this. It's too vague and raw to not be taken seriously.
Some claims of seeing giant hairy men are likely as ridiculous to read as they were to hear from people who reported them so the author did a good job in separating the serious and ridiculous claims. I didn't really care for the last few chapters as they were about eastern European types of Bigfoot which sounded more like hybrid undiscovered monkeys and hermit men than the thing we know as Bigfoot today.
An excellent read and im glad I decided to pick this up as it was both intriguing and informative. 4 giant footprints.
I found the beginning half of the book very compelling and interesting. So many great claims of people saying they saw a giant creature while there are just as many false claims and hoaxes. I 100% believe in the Patrerson tape after reading this. It's too vague and raw to not be taken seriously.
Some claims of seeing giant hairy men are likely as ridiculous to read as they were to hear from people who reported them so the author did a good job in separating the serious and ridiculous claims. I didn't really care for the last few chapters as they were about eastern European types of Bigfoot which sounded more like hybrid undiscovered monkeys and hermit men than the thing we know as Bigfoot today.
An excellent read and im glad I decided to pick this up as it was both intriguing and informative. 4 giant footprints.
August 4, 2025
An assemblage of info about Sasquatch/Bigfoot/Yeti and a few other mystery humanoids. Not great writing but good for a summer read.
Living in southeast Georgia, I was particularly intrigued by the Florida Skunk Ape section. I enjoy the history and writing of Old Florida and the funky side of Florida.
Living in southeast Georgia, I was particularly intrigued by the Florida Skunk Ape section. I enjoy the history and writing of Old Florida and the funky side of Florida.
January 8, 2025
First, the are a lot of typos in this book. Luckily, not many of them are spelling or grammar errors, but there are a few. Most of them are type setting errors.
No, my bigger problem is that for all the introduction and conclusion's talk of the contents of the book being enough to convince you that any of the creatures it talks about are real, I read all 205 pages. It was all sizzle no steak.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary (and indisputable) evidence. Even the most plausible of the creatures the books talk about- The Asian Wild Men- have a plausible explanation that the book doesn't even mention. Hypertrichosis. While it is a rare genetic condition found in humans, it would result in people the look EXACTLY like what the wild people look like. It would explain why they are reportedly able to 'intermarry' with humans. It's not because they would be neanderthals, but because they are humans with a small genetic quirk. Considering they were seen most often in a culture where people with such conditions were ostracized from their tribes (something the book itself admits) one can't help but argue what is more plausible... a small inbred tribe of a species we can't prove has existed in about 40,000 years... or that small family of humans with a genetic condition we KNOW exists and is most common in people from that part of the world exists. It's not like people with hypertrichosis has a long history of being and displayed in circus and zoos around the world and even had their corpses on display in travelling shows and knock off Ripley Museum's as recently as the 1970s. Oh wait...
No, my bigger problem is that for all the introduction and conclusion's talk of the contents of the book being enough to convince you that any of the creatures it talks about are real, I read all 205 pages. It was all sizzle no steak.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary (and indisputable) evidence. Even the most plausible of the creatures the books talk about- The Asian Wild Men- have a plausible explanation that the book doesn't even mention. Hypertrichosis. While it is a rare genetic condition found in humans, it would result in people the look EXACTLY like what the wild people look like. It would explain why they are reportedly able to 'intermarry' with humans. It's not because they would be neanderthals, but because they are humans with a small genetic quirk. Considering they were seen most often in a culture where people with such conditions were ostracized from their tribes (something the book itself admits) one can't help but argue what is more plausible... a small inbred tribe of a species we can't prove has existed in about 40,000 years... or that small family of humans with a genetic condition we KNOW exists and is most common in people from that part of the world exists. It's not like people with hypertrichosis has a long history of being and displayed in circus and zoos around the world and even had their corpses on display in travelling shows and knock off Ripley Museum's as recently as the 1970s. Oh wait...
December 2, 2024
If anyone is looking into the matter of Sasquatch and other cryptids, Ruppert Matthew's book is a great primer on the topic. Matthews, though apparently not an expert, has clearly done his homework and presents the subject in a concise, scholarly and interesting manner. His work in this arena is a good start for the absolute novice.
November 26, 2022
Very interesting, this includes encounters as far away as China! I've not heard of most of these stories before.
March 6, 2024
Very well researched book. So many different sightings going all the way back to China. Have not heard of some of the names, but now I need to do my research and read up on all these.
March 12, 2024
Tons of stories about Bigfoot encounters. Nothing new or life changing if you've been reading up on Bigfoot, but I will say it was a fun, easy read to get through.
January 1, 2025
Solid book for anyone interested in Bigfoot- all the classic encounters as well as dome I had not heard before.
January 6, 2026
very interesting a very what if kind of book covers not only the north American continent but other countries as well. a good read if the subject interests you
August 31, 2016
Bigfoot: True-Life encounters with Legendary Ape-Men is a thorough and well-researched introduction to the subject of the possible man apes that roam North America and the rest of the world.
Set out almost as a text book, it gives excellent background and history to the phenomenon overall, especially from the late 1800's onward. Where the book falls down is the Native American connection to sasquatch, which it barely gives a cursory mention to and hardly scratches the surface, giving the impression that it is more of a modern phenomenon than is perhaps the case.
The book tries to be fair handed in presenting the evidence and to explain both sides of the story, but does so a little simplistically, and in some places, appears to be clutching at straws in its conclusions (in both arguments).
Another issue is that despite the title, the actual number of encounters documented is certainly fewer than I expected.
Overall the book's strength is it's reference style approach to the history and background of the phenomenon, rather than in being a round up of scary stories to tell beside the camp fire.
Set out almost as a text book, it gives excellent background and history to the phenomenon overall, especially from the late 1800's onward. Where the book falls down is the Native American connection to sasquatch, which it barely gives a cursory mention to and hardly scratches the surface, giving the impression that it is more of a modern phenomenon than is perhaps the case.
The book tries to be fair handed in presenting the evidence and to explain both sides of the story, but does so a little simplistically, and in some places, appears to be clutching at straws in its conclusions (in both arguments).
Another issue is that despite the title, the actual number of encounters documented is certainly fewer than I expected.
Overall the book's strength is it's reference style approach to the history and background of the phenomenon, rather than in being a round up of scary stories to tell beside the camp fire.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews