The exquisite artwork on the front
cover of David C. Xu's wonderful book (© David C. Xu/Coachwhip Publications)
December 2017 may seem rather early for anyone to
put forward a major contender to receive in a year's time the accolade of Best Cryptozoology
Book of 2018, but in my opinion the truly exceptional work by David C. Xu to
which this present ShukerNature blog post is devoted, and which is officially
published at the beginning of next month by Coachwhip Publications, more than justifies being nominated
for such an honour.
When David very kindly asked me a while ago if I
would pen a foreword to his book on Chinese cryptozoology, I was delighted to
do so, because Sinian mystery beasts have always fascinated and frustrated me
in equal amounts – fascinated by those select examples recorded in Western-language
publications, and frustrated by the certain knowledge that there were many
additional examples hidden from my investigative capabilities as I do not read
or speak any of China's native tongues. And my latter suspicion was more than
confirmed by the incredible diversity of such latter beasts that David's book
revealed to me as I read through it in advance of preparing my foreword.
So now, as an exclusive pre-publication taster of
what to expect in this incredible, thoroughly engrossing volume, and with
David's kind permission, here is my foreword to his book, reproduced in full:
I consider myself very fortunate to
possess at least a working knowledge of several different European languages,
which has enabled me to research and bring to international cryptozoological
attention via my writings a considerable number of fascinating but
hitherto-obscure cryptids that had never previously been documented in any
English-language publication.
However, there is one massive
geographically-based archive of cryptozoological information that until now has
remained largely unattainable for me, due simply to the frustrating fact that I
have no comparable knowledge or experience of any of the languages indigenous
to that vast country in question – the latter country being, of course, China.
True, down through the ages, a number of English-language books have chronicled
some of the most famous and spectacular of its mythological fauna – such as the
Chinese dragons (long, etc), Chinese phoenix (fenghuang), Chinese unicorn (qilin),
celestial stag, and winged hua fish. A smaller number of cryptids have also
been highlighted internationally, in particular the yeren or Chinese wildman, the
blue tigers of Fujian, the aquatic monsters of Lake Tianchi, and the bizarre 'hippoturtleox' of Tibet. Nevertheless, to adapt one of Sir
Isaac Newton's most quoted of quotations, to me these are little more than just
a few pebbles or seashells lying on the beach, perhaps a little smoother or
prettier than some others, but with the great ocean of Sinian cryptozoology
lying all undiscovered before me – but not any more!
Thanks to the superb book before you
now, the vast and previously-concealed, unseen menagerie of Chinese mystery
beasts is enshadowed and encrypted no longer, its fascinating panoply of
scientifically unknown animals laid bare at last to an international readership
that has waited so long for a knowledgeable guide adept in English to lead it
into these secret creatures' enthralling domain.
Having been wholly immersed in
cryptozoology from both an investigative and a chronicling standpoint for over
30 years, whenever I read any new such book nowadays I expect to be (and
generally am) already familiar with the majority of mystery beasts presented
within it – but not this time! To my surprise but total delight, page after
page in this extremely comprehensive volume unfurled extraordinary cryptids
that I had never previously encountered – confirming my long-held suspicion as
outlined earlier here that China's crypto-chronicles held all manner of
treasures formerly hidden from me by virtue of my inability to read any Sinian
language. And I have no doubt whatsoever that countless other readers similarly
limited linguistically will experience the same thrill of discovery as I did
when first reading this book, and am still doing when re-reading it.
After all, where else could a
non-Chinese cryptozoological reader readily encounter (and especially all
within the same single volume) such captivating creatures as cyan lake goats
and aquatic oxen, coffin beasts and mountain crashers, elusive water monkeys
(one of my favourite 'new' cryptids) and blood-sucking blanket beasts, the
tamarisk children and the water man-bear, false-eyed ungulates, and wolf-pack
interlopers, a bewilderment of mystery big cats and an extraordinary diversity
of man-beasts all meticulously disentangled and delineated, relict chilotheres
and living chalicotheres (or at least some mystifying cryptids very like them
in appearance), vanishing three-humped camels (another particular favourite of
mine) and colour-changing deer, living dragons and latter-day unicorns (not so
mythological after all, it would seem), giant birds and birds with four wings,
a veritable plethora of putative prehistoric survivors, and even a supposed
flying centipede, plus many, many more. Some are undoubtedly more folkloric than
factual, but in every instance their case makes compelling reading.
The history of each cryptid is
chronicled comprehensively, followed by an equally detailed assessment of the
various possible identities on offer for it, and concluding with a very
valuable bibliography of sources. There is also a very considerable number of
illustrations, including some very eyecatching reconstructions of what many of
the cryptids under consideration here may look like, based at least upon
eyewitness descriptions.
Today, thanks to the ease with which
specialised books on mystery animals that would once have struggled to find a
mainstream publisher can now appear in print due to POD technology, e-readers,
and other advances, cryptozoology is experiencing a veritable Golden Age within
the publishing world, with more titles appearing – and staying – in print than at
any other time in this subject's history. In short, crypto-readers nowadays can
all too easily find themselves in the previously unexpected but thoroughly
delightful position of being spoilt for choice when deciding which book(s) to
buy. So here, as a gift from me to you, is a personal recommendation – buy this
book, and I absolutely guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
True, I have to confess that when I
first read its subtitle I had to suppress an instinctive inward shudder, because
I have seen the phrase "Complete…Guide' or similar appear so often in book
titles across a vast range of subjects, only for a reading of the books to
reveal all too readily how inappropriate and grandiose was the application of
such a title to them – but not in this instance. David Xu must be very heartily
congratulated, because he has prepared a truly exemplary work of
cryptozoological scholarship and erudition, one that in my opinion can stand
alongside any of the greatest works on mystery beasts ever published, and, in
terms of its specific subject, one that has absolutely no peers or competitors
of any kind. It is, quite simply, unique, one of a kind, a cryptozoological sui
generis – there really is nothing else like it in existence, and its comprehensiveness
is such that I consider it highly unlikely that there ever will be.
So, if you're looking for a fascinating,
entirely original cryptozoological book to read (and I am obviously assuming
that you have already purchased and read all of mine!), then this is the book
for you – it really is as simple as that.
David's book can be ordered here on Amazon's USA site and here on Amazon's UK site – if you do so, I guarantee
that it will be one of the most spellbinding cryptozoological books that you
will ever read, because it is a monumental landmark in the literature of unknown
animals.
The back cover of David's book,
containing more information concerning its contents (© David C. Xu/Coachwhip
Publications)
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