Coleman, Loren. Bigfoot! The true story of apes in America.

Pocket Books, Paraview. 278p. illus. bibliog. index. c2003. 0-7434-6975-5. $14.00. SA

Every library needs an update of its section on Bigfoot, and this will serve good high school readers and adults. All his life, Coleman has been a naturalist and is regarded as a serious contemporary researcher, so he has more credibility than most as he writes on a subject many dismiss as a hoax. When, in 1957, he watched a Japanese-made SF movie about "an unknown species of hairy, upright creature," he began a lifetime odyssey in search of the elusive beast/human called variously the Abominable Snowman, Yeti, Sasquatch, Bigfoot (a name that took hold in 1958), Windigo, and quite a number of other labels. Coleman presents evidence that includes footprints, handprints, sounds, a long history of newspaper reports, and interviews with numerous persons of varying reliability. He has firm beliefs about physical characteristics, habitat, and numbers; he believes Bigfoot to be nocturnal and intelligent. The well-written book is full of intriguing anecdotes and examples, combining folklore and research. The range of Bigfoot lore is wider and deeper than most would imagine, and Coleman has done a good job of documenting it for a popular audience. He includes a nine-page bibliography of sources and an appendix titled "Twenty Best Places to See Bigfoot." Edna M. Boardman, Bismark, ND