The inner flap of the dust jacker of Monster Hunting Today (1983) asks, “Are you interested in monsters?” Why yes, yes, I am. Unfortunately, this Daniel Cohen book covers pretty much the same ground as Aylesworth’s and similar cryptid-focused books. It’s also far breezier than most of Cohen’s books, with really big type. I read it in about two hours? Topics include dinosaur survivals, lake monsters that aren’t Nessie, Nessie, giant octopi and Yeti/Sasquatch.
The last chapter is titled “Bigfoot: Good News/Bad News” and honestly, the bad news was pretty bad. First, the Mt. Saint Helens eruption destroyed the area known as Ape Canyon, ground zero for Bigfoot folklore. This is the place were miners in the ’20s shot at a supposed Bigfoot, who brought back friends and laid siege to their cabin that night. The story is recounted in pretty much every Bigfoot book up to that point (and memorably dramatized on In Search Of…) and the eruption meant that if there were Bigfoots in the area, they were probably gone now. Worry not, though, because the following year, Rant Mullens came forward claiming that not only was the Ape Canyon story a hoax, but also that he’d carved multiple pairs of big wooden feet that hoaxers had been using for decades to seed the countryside with tracks. After that, Cohen recounts sightings by Paul Freeman that resulting in footprint casts that some folks thought were really good and others thought were clearly a hoax. The chapter ends with John Beckjord’s crackpot theory that Bigfoot can’t be found because he’s from another dimension. Sorry, there was supposed to be good news in this chapter?
Anyway, the real star of the show is the gorgeous dust jacket. Cohen’s books have some impressive cover art, but this one takes the prize. I’m a scaredy-cat when it comes to dark water and things that might live in it, so this serpent is genuinely terrifying to me, even without the red eye and the infernal glow. I really love the graphic element of the water line and the font choice as well, but quality of the rendering and the color choices are really what do it for me. Amazing. Peak ’83 monster art.
Incredible cover art! This belongs in every graphic designer's inspiration folder
