Dreary long weekend punctuated by fits of rain, what a snore. Luckily, I managed to find the time to read the most amazing book on Bigfoot that I've had the pleasure of finding. "Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America" by cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, corrals 40+ years of personal research by Mr.Coleman into a book that is as much a beast as the Bigfoot itself. The book is by far the most comprehensive Bigfoot book available to date and easily the most detailed. It begins with the most recent news concerning the death last fall of purported Bigfoot hoaxster Ray Wallace and the recently discovered Skookum print, which depicts the lying body of a Bigfoot. From there, the book travels back to the ancient times and traditions of the Native Americans regarding Bigfoot, traverses to the mid-20th century events including the origins of the term "Bigfoot" and the infamous Patterson film, and finishes up at where things stand at the beginning of the new millenium when it comes to finding Bigfoot.

Throughout the book, Coleman floats his informed opinions on various aspects of the the Bigfoot phenomenon, including an attempt to differentiate between the "classic" Pacific Northwest Bigfoot, their smaller, more aggresive counterparts in the PA, mid-Atlantic region, and the "swamp apes" of the southern belt. He also includes a unique chapter titled "Sex and the Single Sasquatch" which draws together all accounts regarding the sexual activity of Bigfoot and tries to come to some answers as to both why there is so little information and what the available information might mean.

Another intriguing element of the book are the various "Bigfooters" who have made the quest for Bigfoot their life's work. He does an excellent job conveying the human drama of the strong-willed Bigfoot hunters on their seemingly endless quest to bag a Bigfoot.

If that's not enough for you, Coleman covers virtually all of the major media stories regarding Bigfoot through the past 50+ years and attempts to explain how the evolving depiction of the animal shows how public at large views the phenomenon.

Finally, Coleman tackles what he calls the "Three Big Questions" pertaining to the Bigfoot phenomenon. I won't spoil them here, but suffice to say, Coleman has plenty of potential answers for said questions.

Essentially, if you want to know anything about Bigfoot and the Bigfoot phenomenon, check out this book. Unlike a lot of cut-and-paste Bigfoot books out there that detail various sightings, Coleman's book is about Bigfoot, the hunt for Bigfoot, and the history of Bigfoot. It isn't the classical "Does Bigfoot exist?" question, it's "Yeah, Bigfoot exists and if you want to know what we know, here it is, creep." I have a feeling when we get Bigfoot, Coleman will be around to explain what it all means.