Nature magazine called it: “[A] gripping read…a sensitive but devastating takedown of an entire subculture.” skeptic/productlink/b150HB We are excited to announce the release of Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero’s new book Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids. An entertaining, educational, and definitive text on cryptids (a creature whose existence is unsubstantiated or disputed), the authors of this book present the arguments both for and against the existence of these creatures and systematically challenge the pseudoscience that perpetuates their myths. Publishers Weekly says: “This work is as valuable for its analysis of the hunted as it is for the light it shines on the still-hopeful hunters.” Abominable Science’s hefty 400+ full-color pages examine not only the roots of the best-known of legendary creatures, but also the methods, arguments, and personalities of the people who pursue them. With extensive endnotes and citations to primary sources, Abominable Science will be useful for every serious monster-lover. It collects and distills key scholarly discoveries, critical insights, and skeptical arguments that have previously been scattered across the hard-to-find cryptozoological and skeptical literatures. Abominable Science makes numerous contributions toward solving the major cryptid mysteries, showcasing discoveries that are either new or have not been properly explored before in the literature. Highlights include: — the likelihood that the long-necked Loch Ness monster was inspired by a scene in the 1933 fantasy film King Kong; — the likelihood that the sea serpent legend was derived in part from an artistic motif from ancient Greek and Roman art, the hippocamp (a fanciful mer-horse); — the case that the first sauropod dinosaur skeletons mounted in museums quickly inspired the invention of both science fiction about surviving dinosaurs, and also of a new legend: the Mokele Mbembe (supposedly a sauropod living in central Africa); — the role that fundamentalist creationists play in the pursuit and advocacy of cryptids (especially the Mokele Mbembe); — the relationship between cryptid claims and the paranormal (including psychic, bullet-proof, or teleporting Sasquatches); —the disconnect between paleontology-inspired cryptid legends and the actual fossil record. WHERE TO GET IT In hardcover and major ebook formats: Skeptic: skeptic/productlink/b150HB Amazon: amazon/dp/0231153201/?tag=skepticcom-20 Amazon.ca: amazon.ca/dp/0231153201/?tag=skepticcom02-20 Kindle: amazon/dp/B00BAHA5F2/?tag=skepticcom-20 iTunes: https://itunes.apple/us/book/abominable-science!/id491666143?mt=11&uo=4&partnerId=30 Kobo: store.kobobooks/en-US/Books/abominable-science
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:03:53 +0000
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