Weird Wisconsin


Book Description




Kangaroo


Book Description

From Kanga and her son Roo in Winnie the Pooh to the boxing champ Hippety Hopper who punches Sylvester in Looney Tunes, kangaroos appear frequently in children’s books, cartoons, and songs. They are a favorite animal at zoos, charming yet peculiar-looking with their powerful hind legs, long tails, and pouches. Though kangaroos are beloved in the imagination, but reality of their relationship with humans is darker and more troubled. In this book, John Simon tackles the story of these marsupials—and their use and abuse—in global history. In addition to describing the kangaroo’s physiology and lifecycle, Simons describes their role in indigenous Australian culture, their ill-fated first contact with Europeans, and their subsequent capture for zoos and relocation to establish wild populations in Japan and the United States. Simons also explores the connections between visual and cultural representations and the current controversy in Australia surrounding kangaroo hunting and eating. Demonstrating how the true diversity of the kangaroo population has frequently been reduced to a single stereotype, this book reveals how such misrepresentations now threaten the future of the species. A book for anyone concerned with animal welfare and conservation, Kangaroo is a pouch-sized and fascinating look at these unusual creatures.




Monster Spotter's Guide to North America


Book Description

Like a bird-watching guideà only for monsters Monsters represent the dark side of humanity–the primal, animal impulses that reside in every single one of us. They have preyed upon our imaginations and our fears since the dawn of civilization. North America is home to a wide array of fearsome beasts, including hairy monsters, flying monsters, lake monsters, and other unexplained phenomena. Monster Spotter's Guide geographically catalogs more than one hundred legendary monsters reported to inhabit the continent. From the mythical Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest to the vicious Mexican goatsucker known as El Chupacabra, you'll read about the legends and major sightings of the most widely feared creatures reported to exist–plus a few you might have never heard of. Within these pages you'll find detailed pen-and-ink drawings, helpful quick-reference boxes for immediate identification of key monster traits, a glossary of cryptozoology terms, useful appendices, case studies and more. Let this book be your guide, and explore the legends for yourself. Anyone can be a monster spotteràwhen you start looking, you never know what you might find.




Mysterious Chicago


Book Description

From Chicago historian Adam Selzer, expert on all of the Windy City’s quirks and oddities, comes a compelling heavily researched anthology of the stories behind its most fascinating unsolved mysteries. To create this unique volume, Selzer has collected forty unsolved mysteries from the 1800s to modern day. He has poured through all newspaper, magazine, and book references to them, and consulted expert historians. Topics covered include who really started the great Chicago fire, who was the first “automobile murderer,” and even if there was actually a vampire slaying at Rose Hill cemetery. The result is both a colorful read to get lost in, a window to a world of curiosity and wonder, as well as a volume that separates fact from fiction—true crime from urban legend. Complementing the gripping stories Selzer presents are original images of the crime and its suspects as developed by its original investigators. Readers will marvel at how each character and crime were presented, and happily journey with Selzer as he presents all facts and theories presented at the time of the “crime” and uses modern hindsight to assemble the pieces.




Mysterious Creatures [2 volumes]


Book Description

A comprehensive guide to cryptozoology—the quest to identify animals that have not been officially catalogued by science and to place these unknown animals into their proper zoological categories. In this fascinating two-volume encyclopedia, author George M. Eberhart provides a comprehensive catalog of nearly 1,000 cryptids—unknown animals usually reported through eyewitness accounts and not yet described by science. Cryptids are the stuff of folklore, hoaxes, and genuine scientific breakthroughs. There are 400 now-classified cryptids once considered either extinct or pure fantasy. The cryptozoologist's job is to strip away the myth, misidentification, and mystery—and separate fact from fiction. Mysterious Creatures covers everything from dinosaurs and the emala-ntouka, an elephant-killing dinosaur-like animal of central Africa, to searches for the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, and other cryptozoological hoaxes. Entries about specific animals include the derivation or meaning of each cryptid's name, its scientific name, variant names, a physical description, behavior, description of tracks, habitat, significant sightings, present status, and possible explanations. Illustrations and photographs accompany many entries. The book also includes resources and references for further information.




Phantom Animals


Book Description

Eschewing conventional partisanship, this book offers the definitive assessment of the opening two years of the presidency of Barack Obama and explores the critical policies, decisions, and politics that dominated Obama's domestic and international agendas. Joining forces with a host of distinguished scholars, the editor offers a compelling evaluation of the Obama presidency with the objective of examining three critical questions: Did the domestic reforms advance or impact the Obama legacy? Did multilateralism advance Obama's stewardship of U.S. foreign policy? Finally, what issues on the domestic and international front will define the Obama presidency?







The Field Guide to North American Monsters


Book Description

This unique field guide draws on modern sightings, folklore, urban legends, and mythology to give novices all they need to begin a fearless foray into the world of monsterology. 75 photos.




Mysterious America


Book Description

Bestselling author and noted cryptozoologist Loren Coleman set out on the ultimate mission: to uncover the fun and intriguing phenomena that exist right here in the United States. In Mysterious America, a fun and compulsively readable guidebook to America's most popular local legends, he prepares readers for their own adventure -- where to find the unbelievable spectacles on their journey, including: Phantom panthers haunting eastern North America Bay State ghosts and spirits Mad gassers in Illinois Champ, the famous Lake Champlain monster The Minnesota Iceman The Missouri Momo and the infamous Eastern Bigfoot And many more! Coleman's witty insight and astonishing experiences will captivate followers of Charles Fort and just-plain-curious readers alike. For, as Coleman frankly reveals, these strange creatures and unimaginable wonders may lie just beyond your own backyard....




Hidden Animals


Book Description

A global survey of unknown creatures reported by thousands of eyewitnesses—creatures that have either been verified, refuted, or are still being examined by scientific researchers. Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures welcomes readers into the fascinating world of cryptozoology—the scientific pursuit of legendary creatures that sometimes reveals hoaxes and sometimes identifies real, previously unknown species. Compiled by Michael Newton, author of the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology, it is the first comprehensive guide covering the crossroads of zoology and folklore written for both the young and the young at heart. Organized by type of creature type, such as giant animals, missing links, and living fossils, Hidden Animals surveys various beings reported and pursued worldwide from ancient times to the present, in every corner of the globe. In the process, it relates classic myths and legends to identified flesh-and-blood animals. Readers will be captivated by both the scientific evidence supporting the existence of specific cryptids and the exposure of notorious frauds or cases of mistaken identity.