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. Nearly 100 entries on the full range of cryptids, organized into categories of types of animals Primary sources, including eyewitness accounts of sightings of undocumented creatures Sketches of reported hidden animals and photographs of real species uncovered in the pursuit of cryptids A "Who's Who" in cryptozoology with brief biographies of major figures in the field A wide-ranging bibliography of print and online resources for further exploration A comprehensive index of animals (real and speculative), people, places, and discoveries

A magical, thrilling pirate adventure: fun, fantastical and totally unputdownable! '[A] magical tale of pirates, magic and high adventure!' DAN SMITH 'non-stop adventure, Loved all the magic lurking beneath the sea.' NICKI THORNTON Tiggy has always had the ocean in her blood - and lately, she's been dreaming of mermaids - but she's a high-born girl on the Isle of Fortune, forced to wear dresses, attend balls and (worst of all) comb her wild curls. But then the Pirate King strikes, wielding deadly turquoise magic, and Tiggy's younger brother is stolen - along with every boy on the island. Tiggy knows it is time to claim her destiny, take to the high seas and rescue the boys of Fortune ... A spellbinding, hugely exciting pirate adventure: fun, feminist, classic in feel and totally unputdownable. Perfect for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean! Oli is co-founder and executive producer at Blue Zoo, a BAFTA-winning film animation company - bringing a brilliantly cinematic and visual feel to Antigua de Fortune.

Arm yourself with garlic, stake and crucifix, for the vampires are back in force - at the top of the best-seller lists, on your TV, on the web and lurking in darkened cinemas. But where did they come from?Why have they come back now? And how can you tell if you are one? Beginning with the first sightings of bats and blood-sucking in the Romantic period, Bite follows the undead's progress through the ages, right up to the present. Alongside mini-essays, anecdotes, facts and figures, each section will be punctuated with lists, such as the best places around the world for vamp tourism; rock songs with vampire allusions; box-office revenue for vamp movies; the Top 10 Vampire clubs, video-games, vampire brides, as well as reliable and unreliable methods of killing a vampire ...

MICHAEL GRANT'S ACTION-PACKED AND MUCH ANTICIPATED NEW BOOK, SET IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE BESTSELLING GONE SERIES.

When the dome came down, they thought it was the end of the troubles. Truth is, it was just the beginning.

Shade Darby witnessed events that day, with devastating consequences, and vowed never to feel that powerless again. Now, four years later, she gets her hands on a part of the meteor that began it all – and that’s when she changes.

Trouble is, Shade’s not the only one mutating, and the authorities cannot allow these superpowers to go unchecked . . .

"If men no longer know what they are looking at, there may well be unicorns in the world yet, unknown and glad of it." Living in peace in her lilac wood, the Unicorn didn't know the world had changed, or that anything had happened to the rest of her kind. Overhearing a chance conversation, she resolves to venture out and discover the truth. The road is dangerous, and the risks are great. If she fails, then unicorns will be lost. Forever. A modern fairy tale, The Last Unicorn is a beloved classic, voted by TIME as one of the 100 greatest fantasy novels of all time. It is fantastical, poignant, wistful and wonderous, showing us the humanity of magic, and the magic of humanity. Available in the UK for the first time in decades, this edition features an introduction by Patrick Rothfuss.

Vampires is a unique, lavishly illustrated work that explores the rich diversity of vampire belief and lore, ranging from countries as diverse as Japan, Sweden and Ireland, looking at their historical origins, and setting them in their cultural context.

Monsters are culturally meaningful across the world. Starting from this key premise, this book tackles monsters in the context of social change. Writing in a time of violent upheaval, when technological innovation brings forth new monsters while others perish as part of the widespread extinctions that signify the Anthropocene, contributors argue that putting monsters at the center of social analysis opens up new perspectives on change and social transformation. Through a series of ethnographically grounded analyses they capture monsters that herald, drive, experience, enjoy, and suffer the transformations of the worlds they beleaguer. Topics examined include the evil skulking new roads in Ancient Greece, terror in post-socialist Laos's territorial cults, a horrific flying head that augurs catastrophe in the rain forest of Borneo, benign spirits that accompany people through the mist in Iceland, flesh-eating giants marching through neo-colonial central Australia, and ghosts lingering in Pacific villages in the aftermath of environmental disasters. By taking the proposition that monsters and the humans they haunt are intricately and intimately entangled seriously, this book offers unique, cross-cultural perspectives on how people perceive the world and their place within it. It also shows how these experiences of belonging are mediated by our relationships with the other-than-human.

Bigfoot Huge, hairy, foul smelling, this legendary apelike animal continues to captivate the public's imagination. This fascination hinges on a single piece of motion-picture film shot in northern California in 1967. For thirty-five years, Bigfoot believers have been convinced that this sixty-second piece of film proves the physical reality of Bigfoot.
But now comes a book that demolishes that belief, that produces final proof that the film footage is a hoax.
"The Making of Bigfoot" tells the amazing story of Roger Patterson of Yakima, Washington. A part-time rodeo rider, chronically unemployed and dying of cancer, Patterson propelled himself into short-lived fame and fortune by exploiting his obsession with the Bigfoot subject and leveraging his expertise in manipulating and conning people to pull off one of the world's great hoaxes.
Living within two hours of Patterson's hometown, for three years paranormal investigator and author Greg Long interviewed more than forty witnesses in Yakima who knew Patterson intimately. The voices of these witnesses, combined with facts unearthed from newspaper archives, books, and court documents, tell the real story of Roger Patterson.
Both tragic and comical, a unique slice of Americana, "The Making of Bigfoot "captures the testimony of a colorful cast of characters who bring to life a man and a time in the 1960s when Bigfoot strode into the American imagination, and the world embraced a myth.

The Wild West is infamous for its outrageous stories, cowboys, and gun battles. But the region is also known for its ghost stories, unexplained deaths, bizarre murders, and peculiar burials. In Weird Wild West, author Keven McQueen brings together a fabulous collection of tales of the darker and stranger side of Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington. Exploring mysterious deaths, true crime stories, and paranormal activity, this eerie collection uncovers long buried and disturbing stories of the region. Included are the unforgettable tales of the body-snatching of Billy the Kid, the revenge curse of a former deputy district attorney in Colorado, and the weird tale of Mr. Moon, who couldn't keep his dearly departed wife in the ground despite his best efforts. An intriguing, frightful, and entertaining exploration of the strange and gothic side of the Western states, Weird Wild West promises to send chills down your spine.

Now safely back at home, Ian and Lilli are free to return to normal life. Except there's a major problem: Ian keeps seeing the big bad boss dragon Atreus everywhere, and he can't tell whether it's real or in his imagination. So the internet is no longer an option. That's right. Ian, king of online gaming, is out on the soccer court instead. When Atreus shows up . . . everywhere, he knows he needs his sister. But he's legally obligated to never say Dra-er, the name of the game, so how is he supposed to ask for help? When Ian and Lilli finally sign back online, it's clear that Atreus has truly been released on the open web-and even worse, Ikumi has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a video game. It's back into virtual reality, but this time it's to Mech Ops, a futuristic world of zombies and evil robots-and the game's not even finished. Will Ian and Lilli have what it takes to jump through unfinished levels undetected? Or will they get booted . . . and even worse, are there do-overs in VR that isn't even built yet?

Vampires are beings of myth: folkloric creatures who live off the blood of the living and have been recorded in nearly every culture around the world since the beginning of man. This work traces the evolution of the vampire, from its roots in ancient mythology to obscure folk tales and legends, leading up to when these foul beings transformed into the suave Byronic heroes that continue to influence the world's view of the vampire today. It also examines key individuals in history involved in reshaping our concept of the creature. Popular culture is explored, along with the development of the vampire into the protagonist in plays and poems and novels. Sixty-one frightening images bring the topic right to your front door. Will you invite the visitor in?

The Book of the Magical Mythical Unicorn is an anthology of esoteric knowledge, myths, and legends about the most magical of beasts: the mythical unicorn. Utilizing a global lens, the authors delve into the critical importance of the timeless unicorn across multiple cultures and spiritual traditions to display the transformative energy of the creature and its larger effect on humanity's consciousness. No other mythological creature is enjoying as rapid an ascent into the public eye and consciousness as the magical unicorn. The unicorn is now a fixture in contemporary pop culture. People young and old are captivated by the magical legends and mythology of the unicorn. This book explores a diverse assortment of tales about the unicorn, ranging from its presence in the Garden of Eden, its foretelling of the births of Confucius and the Buddha, its protection of India from the wrath of Genghis Khan's army, and its depiction within heraldry, including in the Scottish and British thrones. It features in-depth sections on the use of the unicorn's horn for detecting poisons and healing, the horn's connection to the opening of the third eye, and the unicorn's depictions in ancient Sumeria, Egypt, and many other early civilizations.

Meet California's legendary monsters in this guided tour, from the sea, where life began, to the Golden State's scenic lakes, majestic mountains, brooding forests, and rumored "alien tunnels" beneath the streets of Los Angeles. Cower beneath a giant vulture with a wingspan of 25 feet in San Bernadino County. See a 30-foot-long flying/slithering serpent/bird in Riverside County that matched the speed of a train. Tour the lost underground city connecting L.A. to Santa Monica Bay, where lizard people were dropped off by a prehistoric meteor shower. Unknown creatures may appear at any time, to startle, frighten, and in some cases devour unwary humans. While Bigfoot is known to many, California's other strange creatures giant birds and reptiles, lizard men, winged apes, man-sized fish, and salamanderswill surprise and fascinate you.

Enter the world of "The Boogeyman" who abides in closets everywhere. Learn myths from around the world. Discover sleep disorders that cause dreams to blend into reality, portals, vortexes, and doorways to the boogeyman's realm. Study paranormal cases that hold families in fear. Meet famous serial murderers, known as boogeymen, who took the lives of children and paid a high price for their crimes. Shiver as you read legends about entities that travel from time and space to kidnap us while we sleep in our beds. Follow fictional boogeymen through terrifying rampages of murder and mayhem in the movies. Maybe you should keep your closet door closed as you read this ...

This is an intelligent and insightful journey into the shadowy world of the 'man-beast' and whether they truly exist...If legend, and eyewitness accounts are to be believed, since ancient times we have shared our planet with various 'man-beasts'. From the Abominable Snowman to Zombies, these creatures have managed to both terrify and enthrall us in equal measure. Does the enduring fascination in movies and literature with vampires and werewolves have any basis in reality? Does Bigfoot really exist as an endangered species? Are aliens really abducting people? Are they real creatures or only expressions of our very human hopes and fears? In "Tracking the Man-Beasts", veteran paranormal investigator Joe Nickell explores the historical, geographical, and cultural reaches of various 'manimals' and other humanoid entities, bringing folkloric and iconographic evidence to bear on a category of mystery as old as humanity.

From the earliest days of oral history to the present, the vampire myth persists among mankind's deeply-rooted fears. This encyclopedia, with entries ranging from "Abchanchu" to "Zmeus," includes nearly 600 different species of historical and mythological vampires, fully described and detailed.

This colourfully illustrated and designed pocket guide to the world of Faery will bring you face-to-face with pixies, will-o'-the-wisps, the tall and noble Sidhe, and so much more. Seeking Faery includes fascinating insights into the folklore and history of these magical beings and provides techniques for deepening your connection and developing honorable relationships with them. Author Emily Carding shares exercises for all levels of ability, including visualizations, using a symbol as a gateway to Faery, and taking an underworld journey to meet your Faery ally. You will discover how to use voice, dance, and movement to connect with the the roots of existence and drink from the healing waters in the world of the Fae.

'The Stardust Thief will transport you, enchant you, and revive your belief in the magic of storytelling' Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a magical lamp. Neither here nor there, but long ago... Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp. With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artefact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen and confront a malicious killer from Loulie's past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything - her enemy, her magic, even her own past - is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality. Praise for The Stardust Thief: 'Sizzling with action and secrets, The Stardust Thief is a grand adventure with unforgettable characters, enchanting magic, and plenty of heart' Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage 'A thrilling adventure about found families, ancient magic and stories that linger' S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass 'The Stardust Thief is a dream written upon a page - absorbing, lingering and poignantly told. Abdullah weaves a sweeping adventure of tales within tales, while laying bare the ways those we love can both uplift us and break our hearts' Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

"An illuminating contribution to scholarship on the vampire figure."-Slavic Review Even before Bram Stoker immortalized Transylvania as the homeland of his fictional Count Dracula, the figure of the vampire was inextricably tied to Eastern Europe in the popular imagination. Drawing on a wealth of previously neglected sources, this book offers a fascinating account of how vampires-whose various incarnations originally emerged from folk traditions from all over the world-became so strongly identified with Eastern Europe. It demonstrates that the modern conception of the vampire was born in the crucible of the Enlightenment, embodying a mysterious, Eastern otherness that stood opposed to Western rationality. From the Prologue: From Original Sin to Eternal Life For a broad contemporary public, the vampire has become a star, a media sensation from Hollywood. Bestselling authors such as Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyer continue to fire the imaginations of young and old alike, and bloodsuckers have achieved immortality through films like Dracula, Interview with a Vampireand Twilight. It is no wonder that, in the teenage bedrooms of our globalized world, vampires even steal the show from Harry Potter. They have long since been assigned individual personalities and treated with sympathy. They may possess superhuman powers, but they are also burdened by their immortality and have to learn to come to terms with their craving for blood. Whereas the Southeast European vampire, discovered in the 1730s, underwent an Americanization and domestication in the media landscape of the twentieth century, the creole zombies that first became known through the cheap novels and horror films of the 1920s still continue to serve as brainless horror figures. Do bloodsuckers really exist and should we really be afraid of the dead? These are the questions that I seek to tackle, following the wishes of my daughter, who was ten when I started this project.

Taking Mary Shelley’s novel as its point of departure, this collection of essays considers how her creation has not only survived but thrived over 200 years of media history, in music, film, literature, visual art and other cultural forms. In studying monstrous figures torn from the deepest and darkest imaginings of the human psyche, the essays in this book deploy the latest analytical approaches, drawn from such fields as musicology, critical race studies, feminist studies, queer theory and psychoanalysis. The book interweaves the manifold sounds, sights and stories of monstrosity into a conversation that sheds light on important social issues, aesthetic trends and cultural concerns that are as alive today as they were when Shelley’s landmark novel was published 200 years ago.

Bigfoot sightings have been reported in every state except Hawaii. Interest in this creature, which many believe to be as mythical as a leprechaun, is as strong today as ever, with the wildly popular show Finding Bigfoot persisting on the Animal Planet network and references to bigfoot appearing throughout popular culture. What is it about bigfoot that causes some people to devote a chunk of their lives to finding one? In Monster Trek, Joe Gisondi brings to life the celebrities in bigfoot culture: people such as Matt Moneymaker, Jeff Meldrum, and Cliff Barackman, who explore remote wooded areas of the country for weeks at a time and spend thousands of dollars on infrared imagers, cameras, and high-end camping equipment. Pursuing the answer to why these seekers of bigfoot do what they do, Gisondi brings to the reader their most interesting-and in many cases, harrowing-expeditions. Gisondi travels to eight locations across the country, trekking into swamps, mountains, state parks, and remote woods with people in search of bigfoot as well as fame, fortune, adventure, and shared camaraderie. Many of the people who look for bigfoot, however, go counter to stereotypes and include teachers, engineers, and bankers. Some are private and guarded about their explorations, seeking solitude during a deeply personal quest. While there are those who might arguably be labeled "crazy," Gisondi discovers that the bigfoot research network is far bigger and more diverse than he ever imagined.