Author and Cryptozoologist Scott Marlowe published two Sasquatch themed books in September that I’ve just gotten around to reading, “Bigfoot Enigma” and “Bigfoot in Art History.”Marlowe, who is based in Florida, has appeared on MonsterQuest and a number of other programs. He is the author of “The Cryptid Creatures of Florida” and teaches a college course on Cryptozoology.
Bigfoot Enigma does indeed read like a small textbook for an organized study of Sasquatch so it won’t surprise readers to learn that Scott teaches on the subject. It’s not a boring schoolbook by any means however; Marlowe presents us with several accounts in the book and uses them to illustrate specific points of interest about Bigfoot and Bigfoot encounters.
The book has a number of charts and reference pieces that are nice to have on hand for a quick glance. For instance, there’s a listing of names or terms used to identify Sasquatch type creatures around the world. There’s also a great study listing percentage of hair color broken down by regions.
All in all, Bigfoot Enigma is a great book for folks new to the field as well as veteran cryptozoologists.
I gave a copy to a friend who has recently developed an interest in Sasquatch. He wanted something to read that wasn’t too ‘daunting.’ Basically, he wanted a book that wasn’t just filled with encounters that presented basic facts that argued how and why such a creature could exist. Bigfoot Enigma fit the bill and my friend has now moved on to Meldrum’s “Sasquatch Legend Meets Science.”
Bigfoot in Art History is, as the name implies, a chronology of images throughout history that may be representations of Sasquatch. The book comes in at just under 130 pages and has many illustrations. Obviously, this is a basic introduction to the topic and it only goes up through the Gothic period, nonetheless, it is quite interesting and offers a different approach to study the history of Sasquatch.
I don’t agree that there’s a Bigfoot connection to all of the images presented in the book, but then, Marlowe clearly doesn’t expect everyone to agree with his interpretations. He simply asks readers to keep an open mind and consider the possibility that these images represent the big hairy guy, as he states in the introduction:
“I’d like you to be open to interpretations of the examples—even if they conflict with your own ideas—and try to consider our discussions as possible explanations for the subject matter within the structure of chronology and situation that apply to the art work being viewed.”
The book has chapters covering a range of styles and time periods including Greek, Roman and Islamic styles of art. Personally, I found the latter half of the book the most interesting as it covered the early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic periods.
Scott mentions that he’s not trying to prove the existence of Bigfoot by presenting these images; he’s merely trying to stimulate a broader approach in those who are on the search. In this, I feel that he succeeded. While some people will dismiss many of the images, there’s no denying that some type of ‘wild man’ has been recorded artistically through many different time periods by a large array of cultures.
I can recommend both of these recent efforts by Marlowe and I look forward to seeing more of his contributions to Cryptozoology.
Scott Marlowe’s books are available at Amazon and other booksellers.
You can find the FaceBook page for Bigfoot Enigma here:
https://www.facebook.com/bigfootenigma
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