Book outlines beasts and their hideouts

Lions and tigers and monsters, oh my! They might be a thing of the past, living on only in… Lions and tigers and monsters, oh my! They might be a thing of the past, living on only in childhood folklore and local legends, but monsters are much more to Scott Francis, self-described “monster enthusiast” and author of “Monster Spotter’s Guide to North America.” To him, they’re a hobby.

Sparked by memories of spooky bedtime stories told by his father and checking out library books on the supernatural surroundings of his native North Carolina, Francis’ intrigue only grew as he got older. The idea of a bird-guide-formatted monster book seemed like the natural next step.

“I think there’s still magic in the world – there are still things that people don’t understand,” Francis revealed in a telephone interview with The Pitt News. And while the book is in fact a spoof, Francis leaves open the possibility that some of the represented monsters could possibly exist. Skepticism, he rules, is healthy: “Sometimes we forget about the primal things that as people, we know at a gut level,” he said. “If you don’t question things, then you’re simply not thinking for yourself.”

The guide is chock full of creatures, grouped by location (“Monsters of the Northeast,” “Monsters of Mexico”) and type (“UFO-Related,” “Reptilian Humanoids”) and even an “Official Monster Map” with convenient color-coded key. All descriptions are complete with detailed illustrations, compliments of Benjamin Patrick, a fellow monster enthusiast. How were the illustrations possible without an eyewitness, you ask? Lots of research, for one:

“I approached [the book] from looking at urban legends and Native American legends as well as fringe science reporting on things like Bigfoot and lake monsters – things that are a little more credible,” Francis explained. To tie in with each actual legend, Patrick would pick up on one or more situational aspects of the story to place in the monster pictures themselves. The best example is Tahoe Tessie.

Said to live in the depths of Lake Tahoe – an alleged dumping ground for 1920s and 1930s mafia killers – Tessie is depicted as whirling around corpses of gangsters in pin striped suits and ties.

“He really went with the spirit of the book,” said Francis of Patrick.

“We both tried to make it informative based on the legends and true to what those legends really are, but also kind of fun at the same time,” Francis said. Mission accomplished, boys. But what classifies a “monster,” per say? What makes a creature a monster instead of just a freakish animal? It all depends on what you believe or want to believe, Francis retorted:

“If you are more scientifically minded, then you might say that any ‘monster’ – if it is proven to exist – is simply an evolutionary mutation or a misunderstood species that somehow managed to avoid detection throughout history.” But for Francis, folklore and storytelling, “all the fun things,” as he puts it, are the basis for monsters. Monster spotting is a time-consuming pastime, but luckily Francis’ friends and family were with him throughout the book’s progress:

“Everybody played along,” he said of his support system. While the book was being written, group library trips and monster hunts were practically routine events. Relatives and colleagues eagerly sent him their own legends and folklore, hoping to contribute.

“We made a little monster spotter society,” Francis joked. With all this monster talk, a nagging question still remains: If the author himself were a monster, what type would he be?

“I would be something smaller and mischievous – a cross between a kangaroo and a monkey