by By William T. Cox and Coert DuBois, Originally published by Press of Judd & Detweiler, Inc., 1910, Re-printed by Kessinger Publishing, 2007
Amongst the multitudes of wildlife field guides, Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts) is unique in that it deals exclusively with animals that do not exist. Given the bizarre and often bloodthirsty nature of the fauna depicted within, it can only be a comfort that they reside purely within the rich folklore of early lumberjacks. Twenty such oddities are showcased in this 50-page volume, with their appearance and behavior described in detail. While the book’s creators could have hardly predicted it, Fearsome Creatures has become a definitive resource of American mythology nearly a hundred years after it was first published.
In the author’s introduction, forester and conservationist William Cox expresses a great affection for lumberjack adventure yarns and the surreal brutes featured in them. The tales were transmitted from logging camp to logging camp, growing more incredible with each re-telling, like today’s viral internet memes. Yet each forest region maintained its own distinct flavor of folklore, informed by the culture of the area and the ethnic traditions of the loggers who operated there. With this book, Cox offers a broad sampling of tales from across North America, extending from Canada and New England to the Great Lakes Region, the Southwest, and even Florida. It is this comprehensive nature that has afforded Fearsome Creatures its cultural and historic significance.
The subjects of Fearsome Creatures are notably freakish. Among the abnormalities that supposedly call New England their home are the Argopelter, a fiendish primate with ropy arms for flinging rocks with deadly accuracy at unlucky travelers, and Billdad, a duck-billed rodent whose meat compels those who eat it to drown themselves. Not all of the creatures, however, are necessarily belligerent. The ponderous Tote-Road Shagamaw is a hoofed humanoid with a penchant for marching through the forests of Maine in a continuous loop. The miserable Squonk, known to melt into a puddle of tears at the sight of its own ugly reflection, is particularly harmless.
All of these fantasy animals are examined as if they truly dwelled in their respective forests. Each entry is written in a deadpan naturalist manner and is accompanied by pen-and-ink illustrations by forester Coert DuBois. There are even Latin classifications, provided by George Sudworth, chief dendrologist of the U.S. Forest Service. Clearly this book is a labor of love, and the devotion of Cox and DuBois comes through on every page. At the time of its publication, America was becoming increasingly urban and industrialized. Cox writes of vanishing wilderness and a changing logging industry. His book attempted to preserve the unique lumberjack culture before that way of life faded away forever.
The book has long since entered the public domain, and there are several versions available to read online. Still, despite being repeatedly referenced by folklorists and mythology enthusiasts (even by renowned Argentinean surrealist Jorge Luis Borges, in his book Manual de Zoología Fantástica), Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods has received only sporadic reprinting. In 2007, Kessinger Publishing released a Legacy Reprint of the book, and while this version contains some uncorrected pagination errors, it is both widely available and comparatively inexpensive. Until a better edition comes along, this is the best way to enjoy this classic. Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods will make a charming and unusual gift to all who love the forest and the stories it has inspired.