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weird science and bizarre beliefs Gregory L Reece is an independent writer and scholar based in Montevallo, Alabama, whose research and publishing interests include philosophy of religion and the study of new religious movements. His previous books were Elvis Religion: The Cult of the King (2006) and UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture (2007), both published by I.B.Tauris. mysterious creatures, lost worlds, and amazing inventions Gregory L. Reece Published in 2009 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 www.ibtauris.com In the United States of America and Canada distributed by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of St Martin’s Press 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright © 2009 Gregory L. Reece The right of Gregory L. Reece to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, eletronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978 1 84511 756 6 A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available Typeset by JCS Publishing Services Ltd, www.jcs-publishing.co.uk Printed and bound in the USA This book is for Kristen. Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments ix xi Introduction 1 part one: Bigfoot in Paris 9 1 2 3 Bigfoot Cryptozoology The Spirit of Sasquatch 11 45 71 part two: Among the Arkansas Cave People 101 4 5 103 129 Lost Worlds The Hollow Earth part three: Psychic Brainwaves from Space 165 6 7 167 193 Ancient Wonders Tesla Technology Conclusion 221 Bibliography Index 227 233 Illustrations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1957’s Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas The ‘Searching for Bigfoot’ equipment trailer A Bigfoot print, near Paris, Texas A frame from the famous Patterson-Gimlin footage Texas Chupacabras or coyote with mange? The Mothman Statue, Point Pleasant, West Virginia The famous ‘surgeon’s photograph’ of the Loch Ness Monster The author as the Fouke Monster Smokey’s Two-Books Bookstore, Fouke, Arkansas Andre the Giant as Bigfoot in TV’s The Six Million Dollar Man Smokey’s Monster A map of Atlantis Churchward’s map of Atlantis and Mu Ronald Colman relaxes in Shangri La, in Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon Dr. Paul Schliemann’s diving armor Nazi Atlantean underwater gladiators from outer space in Warlords of Atlantis (1978) 1951’s Superman and the Mole-Men The Iron Mole in At the Earth’s Core (1976) Caroline Munro as a beautiful troglodyte A map of the Hollow Earth The Descent (2005) An Easter Island statue Coral Castle The Extra Low Frequency Modulator Nikola Tesla reading David Bowie as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006) A table-top model of the OTC X-1 15 24 31 32 55 57 63 72 73 90 98 104 109 118 122 125 131 140 141 156 162 175 182 189 198 200 204 * Weird Science and Bizarre Beliefs 28 29 Otis T. Carr’s patent drawing for his flying saucer amusement park ride A Tesla Coil in action 205 209 Acknowledgments Thanks to Tom Biscardi and all the members of the Searching for Bigfoot team, for an introduction to Bigfoot hunting in the wilds of Texas; to Craig Woolheater, for an enlightening