- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Tarcher (Oct 14 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1585422525
- ISBN-13: 978-1585422524
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.7 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#354,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #74 in Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Encyclopedias > Mythology & Folklore
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Cryptozoology, as the name implies, is the scientific classification and study of creatures that may or may not exist-a discipline frequently relegated to the margins of the scientific establishment. So Coleman and Huyghe's decision to write about the Loch Ness Monster ("Nessie"), Giant Beavers and Mystery Mantas hardly seems like an ideal step in the journey towards academic legitimacy. Nonetheless, the rare victory that comes with the "official" recognition of a once-dubious aquatic creature (a giant squid, say, or a megamouth shark) has emboldened the authors to attempt the definitive guide to the elusive "mystery creatures" that might populate over two-thirds of the planet's surface. Unfortunately, the authors' focus is primarily taxonomic rather than narrative or expository, which makes for a disappointingly dull read. Plodding through a detailed animal-classification system quickly becomes a bit, er, dry, so readers looking for lively nature stories would be wise to avoid this particular volume, as the quasi-mythological nature of its subject does little to spice things up. Even such unlikely beasts as Great Sea Centipedes or Waterhorses (of which Nessie may be the most well-known example) are handled primarily in such clinical terms as size, range and likely habitat, supplemented with brief and surprisingly dreary "descriptive incidents" and eyewitness accounts. Heavy on methodology and light on the mystery and excitement of the best nature writing, this book may spark in readers the sense that the authors were more worried about the criticism of their peers than about the drowsiness of their readers. Illustrations.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
From the serpentine "Champie" of Lake Champlain to the venerable "Nessie" of Loch Ness, extraordinary-and un-explained-creatures of the deep have been reported in sightings throughout the twentieth century. Now, two of the world's leading cryptozoological investigators provide a globetrotting field guide to when, where, and what kind of mysterious aquatic beasts have gripped the public-and sometimes the scientific-imagination. Filled with comprehensive drawings, classifications, and maps, their book offers an invaluable and unusual resource for the intrepidly curious to investigate these sightings firsthand or to simply enjoy the fascinating accounts that others have given.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
This serpentine creature of the seas is generally quite long, upwards of 100 feet, with rough skin, a distinct head, and a tapering tail. Read the first page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This serpentine creature of the seas is generally quite long, upwards of 100 feet, with rough skin, a distinct head, and a tapering tail. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A lack of evidence is not proof of existence,
By
This review is from: Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizensof the Deep (Paperback)
Depending on what you mean by sea monsters Coleman and Huyghe's Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep is an adequate introduction into the realm of mysteries of the deep. Starting with the history of these beasts carrying on to modern times introducing the reader with monsters such as sea centipede's, marine crocodiles, giant sharks, sea turtles, octopi, giant beavers, monitors, dinosaurs, and salamanders. Certainly the Jurassic seas were filled with all kinds of marine reptiles that if they were alive today would fit the description of a sea serpent. However, these creatures seemed to have disappeared about the same time the dinosaurs met their end roughly 65 million years ago. More recently the zeuglodon, a primitive form of whale, might easily be mistaken for a sea serpent if it had been alive today, though it is a mammal, not a reptile.In the 19th century an unscrupulous promoter actually cobbled together several zeuglodon skeletons and exhibited them as an extinct sea serpent. Zeuglodons are found in the fossil record as recently 37 million years ago. Can we find more recent fossil evidence for sea serpent-type creatures? It will be hard. The best place to find ancient sea creature fossils are in ancient sea beds. The geology of the planet changes so slowly that most of the more recent sea beds, where we would expect to find evidence for any sea serpent-like creature that has developed over the last few million years, are still at the bottom of the oceans and inaccessible to us. A lack of evidence is not proof of existence, of course, so what we have in Monsters Sea Serpents Other myst Denizens Deepare is simply tantalizing stories. Suggestive and intriguing, but until somebody comes up with a well-preserved body, there is no proof. Help raise awareness; support cancer research!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizensof the Deep (Paperback)
"I enjoyed this book thoroughly.....I find myself surprised that it has more than 350 pages; the reading was so easy and interesting that it seemed a shorter book. I recommend this field guide unreservedly, to fans of cryptozoology of course, but also to those who do not yet know how fascinating this topic is."Dr. Henry Bauer Reviews Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents See complete review at: http://www.lorencoleman.com/jse-fglmss.pdf
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sea monster book with a bit more depth,
By Sea Monster "Carboniferous" (St. Andrews, Fife United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizensof the Deep (Paperback)
The book is a collection of sea monsters accounts and a classification that updates Heuvelmans classic book of 1968. An good introductory text, experienced hunters in the deep will find a number of novelties not published in books so far. It mentions recent discoveries of large marine animals, recent promblematic corpses, new estimates of unknown animal numbers and as well as new tidbits of monsterology from around the world. Most of these items have not been compiled before in a aquatic monster book so these alone make the book worth buying for the reader interested in more than the standard Heuvelmans derived material in most sea monster coffee table books. Most the book is in the form of an Encyclopedia with sea monsters broken up into types that are then described with reference to one or two encounters. Offering both new sightings and a new classification this section is of interest again most to the sea monster familiar reader rather than the layperson. Some of the categories are unequivocal even if giant beavers, sharks and octopuses don't exist, their existence as distinct categories of observation cannot really be gainsaid. Coleman and Huyghes like Heuvelmans wander into more problematic territory when they move into sea serpents. They divide them into two basic types with subcategories. Such shoehorning perhaps prevents objective evaluation of observations (which are after all, all that we have) and may cause important details to be overlooked. Nonetheless this section is a fun controversial read. A fine text which whilst accessible to all will also be appreciated by the more advanced scholar of marine monsters.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Encyclopedias > Mythology & Folklore
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Fun Facts > Curiosities & Wonders
- Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecology
- Books > Reference > Encyclopedias > Mythology & Folklore
- Books > Reference > Fun Facts > Curiosities & Wonders
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Unexplained Mysteries
- Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology
- Books > Science > Nature & Ecology
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
