Lake Monster Mysteries

by Radford, Benjamin

• ISBN13: 9780813123943
• ISBN10: 0813123941
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-05-05
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kentucky

Summary

For centuries, eyewitnesses around the world -- from America to Africa, Argentina to Scotland -- have reported sightings of dark, mysterious creatures in area lakes that surface briefly, only to quickly disappear. While the most famous lake monsters of Loch Ness and Lake Champlain have gained international notoriety, hundreds of lakes around the world are said to shelter these shadowy creatures. Lake Monster Mysteries is the first book to examine these widespread mysteries from a scientific perspective. By using exhaustive research and results from firsthand investigations to help separate truth from myth, the authors foster our understanding of what really lurks in the cold, murky depths. Benjamin Radford and Joe Nickell are considered to be among the top lake monster authorities in the world. Here they share unique insights into many of the world's best-known lake monsters. They interview witnesses and local experts and discuss the different types of lake monster sightings, delve into possible explanations for those sightings, and examine hoaxes, evidence claims, and legends surrounding the monsters. The authors have also conducted groundbreaking fieldwork and experiments at the lakes and have examined recent photographic and sonar evidence. Incorporating newly-revealed information and up-to-date developments in the cases they present, professional monster hunters Radford and Nickell plunge into both the cultural histories of these creatures and the scientific inquiries that may hold the key to these mysteries.

Author Biography

Joe Nickell is Senior Research Fellow at the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Benjamin Radford is managing editor of Skeptical Inquirier magazine.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xi
Acknowledgments	xvii
Introduction	1	(10)
Benjamin Radford
Loch Ness	11	(16)
Joe Nickell
Lake Champlain	27	(44)
Joe Nickell
Benjamin Radford
Lake Memphremagog	71	(8)
Joe Nickell
Silver Lake	79	(10)
Joe Nickell
Lake Crescent	89	(12)
Benjamin Radford
Lake George	101	(10)
Joe Nickell
Lake Okanagan	111	(26)
Joe Nickell
Benjamin Radford
Other Notable Lake Monsters	137	(12)
Joe Nickell
Benjamin Radford
Conclusion	149	(26)
Joe Nickell
Appendixes
Benjamin Radford
1. Mysteries and Misinformation: How Cryptozoologists Created a Monster	153	(8)
2. Eyewitness (Un)reliability	161	(4)
3. Animating the Champ Photograph	165	(3)
4. Ogopogo Film and Video Analysis	168	(7)
Index	175