Hunting Monsters

Hunting Monsters
by Darren Naish
Adopted by
The R.E.A.D. Book Club of the American Public University System.
on November 1, 2022
Hunting monsters

Hunting monsters : cryptozoology and the reality behind the myths

By Darren Naish. London: Arcturus Digital, 2017.

You might be wondering why the Smithsonian Libraries would choose a book based on beasts from fantasy, but behind every myth is some truth. The family of “cryptids” includes such familiar creatures as Bigfoot, Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster, plus several other questionable beasts of land and sea. This book, illustrated with black-and-white photos and drawings, attempts to apply the scientific method to reports of these mythological creatures. The goal is to separate fact from fiction, i.e., what is pure imagination from what is actually possible.

The author, Mr. Naish, tries to determine the truth behind each story. If it’s self-aggrandizing story-telling, get-rich-quick promotion, sloppy investigation, poor quality photography, or just overactive imagination, there will be faulty conclusions. But beyond healthy skepticism, there is actual evidence that some of the “monsters” are, or could be, actual creatures. The text is lively, full of interesting questions, and some enlightening answers. Mr. Naish is a respected British paleontologist and researcher, and a prolific author of both scholarly and popular science texts.

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Adoption Type: Build and Access the Collection