Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE....unbelievable!!
Review: Please, please, please do not waste your time and money on this piece of garbage. I was unfortunate enough to borrow a review copy from a friend. Not only is it rambling and poorly edited, but the author offers not one shred of evidence to support his claims that the Patterson Film (which has withstood nearly forty years of SCIENTIFIC scrutiny) is a hoax. Nothing.This is by far the worst book ever written on the subject. If you happened to catch Long's two co-conspirators, Bob Heironimus (the man who claims to have worn the "suit" in the film) and some guy who plans on making a television special out of it (right...) you've seen that every answer, while being evasive and not truly answering any question, comes back to one thing: "Buy the book." Well people, don't. Even the MSNBC interviewer, Keith Olbermann, could barely disguise his own disbelief over what these two were claiming! If you really want to know what the book has to say, I would suggest doing a search for bigfoot message boards, as long as you're in the internet right now anyway. You'll find all you need to know, and see for yourself how some of this guy's claims even contradict themselves! At one point in the book, he claims Heirominus wore a monkey suit made by a professional costume maker. Yet, also in the book Heironimus states that Patterson himself made the suit of of the hide of a dead horse! If there had been an option to rate this book in the negative stars, it sure deserves to be.
Rating:
Summary: Long didn't check out the facts
Review: Mr. Long failed miserably to test Bob Heironimus' veracity on some major points about the staging of the film. The biggest give away was that Mr. Heironimus chose a hot month (September) for the staging of the film. When Long was asked at a Bigfoot conference how is it that the late fall reddish colored leaves are seen in the foliage in the Patterson films background ... Long could not explain this important descrepency. Bob Heironimus said that Patterson said "cut" to end the film, yet Mr. Long has admitted that he has not ever been to the film site to apprciate the noise level ... which would have prevented Heironimus from ever hearing Patterson say anything. Those of us who have been there know that Bob lied about that important part of his story. I might also add that if my memory serves me right - Mr. Korff supported a claim a few years ago that another man wore the suit for the hoaxing of the Patterson film. How many people can Mr. Korff fit into one suit? I think the book is a sham that relied on Patterson appearing to be a shaddy person in some aspects of his life, which would make a film hoax sound more plausible to the reader. I would not recommend the book to anyone. Sasquatch Researcher/Investigator
Rating: 
Summary: Five stars! I hope Hollywood discovers this book!!
Review: Before I read The Making of Bigfoot, I knew a little about the Roger Patterson Bigfoot film clip. Knowing only a little about anything is a dangerous thing. It's dangerous not only for an individual person, but it's dangerous for society. After reading this book, it's clear to me, at least, that the so-called Bigfooters have gotten away with pushing this film fraud on the public for decades because none of them dared to reveal the truth, or at best did a cursory job of investigating Roger Patterson. The Making of Bigfoot is a vivid, historical, sociological study of Patterson and the people who knew him best, his friends and neighbors. The picture of Patterson Long paints is something the Bigfooters always hated to tell the world themselves. I can understand why. Reading all the negative reviews about this book, which I am sure all come from the Bigfooters, have convinced me that most of these Bigfoot believers are no different than fanatics and blind followers who have pinned all their so-called "evidence" for a real Bigfoot in the film and on their own desperate need for emotional fulfillment from a visual image. These believers are screaming and yelling because they have no common sense, and they just don't get it. The Making of Bigfoot took me right to the scene, where Patterson lived, what he said, and how he operated. Long presents a detailed picture that he had no reason to "make up." Instead, people who Patterson cheated and scammed tell the reader who Patterson was: a con artist. Long also does an excellent job in summarizing and explaining the mass of fascinating information that came from these Yakima, Washington, witnesses, and from other sources. He leaves no stone unturned in finding the truth. It's obvious from reading the book, that Long set out to exhaustively investigate and research the man who took thye film, Roger Patterson. It's obviously common sense, to those who believe in reason, that a man with a criminal background and a habit of lying and cheating people, woulkd most likely lie about the film he created! But, of course, the Bigfoot believers purposely ignored doing the investigation themselves. For example, Rene Dahinden, one of the Bigfoot field's "pioneers" (now deceased) told Long that he really didn't know when the Bigfoot film was shot, and even that it could have been shot earlier than October 20, 1967, the on which date Patterson said he shot it! You see, the Bigfooters don't want you to know that they have no proof as to when Patterson shot the film, which they always conveniently ignore. Long also proves in a detailed manner that processing the film would have taken a special, proprietary Kodak process in a Kodak lab. The Bigfooters never reveal this damning fact. Why would they? Another interesting aspect of Long's book is hearing from people who actually saw the Bigfoot suit. To my knowledge, none of these Bigfooters has ever proved that these witnesses are lying. Long has done a superb job in providing the public with the truth of this film. If it wasn't for him, the public would still be believing in this film, or sitting on the fence. Now there's no reason for anyone to sit on the fence. If they haven't fallen off, this book will push them off! Long writes well, and occasionally with a flair for the dramatic, which I think enlivens this detailed and comprehensive story. The book is both informative and entertaining, all within the framework of an historical book based on facts, transcripts, and public sources. The book presents overwhelming facts that the film is a fraud purposely planned by an unemployed liar who had a penchant for selling people on his Bigfoot obsession through words and histrionics. Anyone who has studied other con artists who've managed to fool the public knows that Patterson has all the features of a con artist: he wanted to make his way through life the easy way, first, by not working, and second, by using, manipulating, and dumping other people. A similar example is the ex-Mormon forger Hoffmann who managed to hide his conning fromk multiple people, all of whom he was using for economic gain, while he forged "rare" documents in his basement, totally unemployed! Long presents story after story of Patterson's lying and "handiwork." Patterson was well-known around town as a bum who was trying to make it big with Bigfoot. People knew what he was up to, this wasn't a deep, dark secret. Long exposes Patterson's lies. Thank God, he documented the truth for posterity. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to enter a completely different world than the one he or she inhabits. There is really something comical about a cowboy owning a 1960s Volkswagen bus and putting horses in it! The book is an excellent example of investigative journalism at its best, as well as a fascinating, true story with a convoluted plot that a true crime writer would have difficulty making up. The Making of Bigfoot is an excellent book to put by your bedside and to read slowly at night, relishing all the facts. I also recommend the book for its photographs. There is also a map that accompanies the book, which is helpful in tracing Patterson's and the other hoaxers' "playground" in the Ahtanum Valley, west of Yakima. I almost forget. The story of Philip Morris's gorilla suit is also a fascinating read. This last chapter pulls the facts together more tightly than ever, proving that Patterson bought a gorilla suit,modified it, and had Bob Heironimus wear it. I heartily recommend this book. Long keeps all the idioms, slang, and patterns of speech of all the witnesses in tact, which adds a degree of realism that will maintain your interest and enjoyment of the story. I give it five stars!! I hope Hollywood discovers this book. I'd like to see it made into a feature film. The book is comical, serious, sometimes sad, and a great American story!
Rating:
Summary: So Many Pages, So Much Trash
Review: First of all the suit maker never mentioned the hernia on the right thigh. Also the suitmaker never mentioned anything about the baby sasquatch on the right shoulder.
The most outrageous part of this book is when they expect you to believe some puny 6' tall 180lbs guy can get inside of an ape suit and suddenly become 7'1" and 800lbs???
Rating:
Summary: Deconstructing Bigfoot in "The Making of Bigfoot"
Review: In this book Greg Long has presented an overwhelming array of evidence that, to an unbiased and impartial reader, will finally put the so-called "Bigfoot controversy" in its proper place as perhaps the greatest hoax of the last century. Mr. Long does this by detailing the life of the chief perpetrator of the hoax, Roger Patterson, by painstakingly interviewing most of the principals involved--or, at least those willing to talk--and by presenting a carefully reasoned analysis of the "holy grail" of Bigfoot evidence, Roger Patterson's October 20, 1967, 16mm film.
Mr. Long's book might very well have been titled "The Unmaking of Bigfoot," because that is precisely what Mr. Long has accomplished in the 466 pages of his narrative. This book took six years to research and write, and although there are times when I'd rather not care to know what kind of soft drinks and snack food Mr. Long prefers, this books holds the interest of the reader like the well-crafted detective story that it is.
The public seems to be divided into two camps regarding the existence of Bigfoot: those who believe and those who don't. A look at the Internet sites devoted to Bigfoot will demonstrate that the "believers" are many. This book may sway some of those Bigfoot "believers" to the truth, but it will probably not convince those whose minds are closed by the over-riding need to simply "believe" in Bigfoot or those with a financial interest in feeding and perpetuating the controversy. To those folks, Mr. Long and his book will become objects of hatred and derision. In defending their "faith," the wrath of the Bigfoot cultists will surpass that of Tomas de Torqemada in his pursuit of heretics in fifteenth century Spain. After all, Mr. Long's book has, in effect, destroyed their Bigfoot-based "religion."
This book is noteworthy not for its findings--after all, the evidence has been out there all the time--but that it took so long for someone to dig out the facts and publish them. One simple and devastating truth emerges from a reading of this book: the Bigfoot cultists have never been able to produce one single shred of indisputable, physical evidence proving that Bigfoot exists in the 37 years since the Patterson film was shot. In spite of this inconvenient fact, their "faith" in the existence of Bigfoot is undiminished, if not downright fanatical. How sad that there are people out there who have built their lives around sixty seconds of grainy and amateurishly done "home movie" film. These people are Roger Patterson's true victims. One wonders how much richer the lives of these people might have been had they devoted the same amount of energy and passion to more worthwhile pursuits. Oh, well...different strokes, as a great philosopher once said. Read this book if you have an open mind on the Bigfoot controversy. Even if you don't, read it anyway and then attempt some critical thought. It won't hurt a bit and you might even enjoy the experience.
Rating:
Summary: Its about time..........
Review: Great book. Its about time people accept this footage for what it is, a terrific hoax. No Nessie, no bigfoot.....O what will I believe in now? Perhaps the elusive Chupacabra.
Rating:
Summary: Long Makes Short Work of Bigfoot Film; Hoax Revealed!
Review: A fascinating book, well researched, and eminently convincing unless cherished beliefs must be clung to no matter how high the stack of facts. The book is based primarily on interviews with a host of people connected in one way or another with Roger Patterson, the maker of the (in)famous Bigfoot film. Long taped his interviews with these people, and the transcripts bring the witnesses to life far better, and far more convincingly, than paraphrasing. There are a lot of interviews, and naturally there is a lot of redundancy in their stories. I don't consider this a drawback, I consider it a preponderance of evidence. I liked Long's format. He puts the results of his research in the context in which he collected it-in the car with his wife heading over the mountains yet again, sitting in someone's living room or a roadside restaurant, sorting through piles of papers, starting yet another manila folder of info. You find out he drinks coffee and diet pop, he is crazy about his wife, it rains a fair bit in the Northwest, and he is baffled by how Patterson could rip off so many people with such style that they forgave him and often came back for more of the same treatment. It was interesting to read about his own thoughts yet still have the actual evidence in the interviews remain inviolate. I especially liked Long's investigation of the film processing angle and Patterson's preposterous claim that the footage was shot on a Friday and viewed two days later. The evidence is quite convincing that the film was shot earlier and processed within a typical timeframe. (And I daresay if the results had not been satisfactory another filming excursion would have been in order. Who knows how many trial sightings ended up in the trashcan because the fakery was too obvious.) In future editions, I think a map of the Bluff Creek filming area (in addition to the Yakima area map already in the book) would be helpful, as I had to pull out an atlas for a couple of the chapters. A visual timeline would also be useful-once I plotted the events chronologically, the degree and depth of the scamming was nothing short of amazing. For folks without blind spots about Patterson and Bigfoot, this book is a tremendous resource. I recommend it highly. Lastly, in response to some other reviewers comments and questions -- > Why didn't Patterson confess on his deathbed if the film was a hoax? A small guy, Patterson apparently had a whopping big ego. The pro-Bigfoot claim that Patterson not revealing the hoax before he died is proof that the film is valid just doesn't wash. Would Patterson prefer to be immortalized as the Great White Cinematographer of one the wonders of the world, or a con artist? Would he cut off the cash cow for his widow by confessing? Sorry, unlikely. That secret he would reasonably take to his grave. > Was the suit made of horsehide or synthetic? Bob H's claim that Patterson said the suit was made from horsehide can't carry much weight, given Patterson's track record for honesty; however, Long's research is convincing that the suit was altered, and if the hide was free it might well have been used in the alterations, because thrift (to the point of theft at times) was Patterson's style. > Is Long just out to make money? Well, I daresay anyone would love to rake in big bucks from a bestseller, but if he can make a living wage based on all the hours and driving time that clearly went into this book, good for him, and good luck. If he really wanted to make money, he would have written a pro-Bigfoot book, the perfect setup for minimum effort for maximum return. (Speculation at 100 words per minute, no research time-although actively suppressing facts could add hours, and a market that is both rabidly enthusiastic and gullible to point of painfulness. I could see him feeling guilty about taking their money, but I must assure him that I have no problem with him taking mine.) And let's not forget that for those who don't want to fund such heresy, there are public libraries so they can get the info without lining Long's pockets too heavily. > What about the hernia and the baby sasquatch on the right shoulder? Mom's right; the streets are not safe.
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: As a public service, here is a synopsis of Greg Long's book - that way, you won't have to waste any of your hard earned $$$ 1) Greg doesn't like Roger Patterson
2) Greg gets told that a guy from Yakima called Bob Heironimus was the 'guy in the suit'
3) Greg buys this because he is a little dimwitted.
4) Greg interviews carefully selected people - he suggests to all of them that Bob H. wore a suit
5) Greg interviews Bob H. - Bob H can't remember anything about the film site or how he got there
6) Greg eats some donuts
7) Greg believes Bob H hook, line and sinker
8) Bob H tells greg about the suit
9) Greg thinks Bob walks just like the creature in the film
9) Greg interviews the suit maker
10) Greg eats donuts again
11) The suit maker's description of the suit is nothing like Bob H's but that doesn't concern greg, because he is smitten by his 'hero' Bob H.
12) Greg publishes his book and is very rude to anyone who dares to disagree with him
13) Greg finally eats his last donut That is just about it - don't waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: A case of the ends justifying the means hack journalism.
Review: First, I didn't buy this book, I borrowed it. I'm glad I didn't waste the money. Second, I'm not a worshipper of the Patterson/Gimlin film. I would be glad to believe it's a hoax if the notion was supported. Unfortunately, Greg Long's book is so full of misleading information and personal attacks that his agenda is made clear from the start. This is nothing more than a clear case of making the facts fit his conclusion. The inconsistencies are plentiful, but in the end it is the inability of anyone, ever, to reproduce the Patterson/Gimlin film that makes the hoax theory fail. I have only one thing to say to Long, et. al. Show me the monkey.
Rating: 
Summary: THOUROUGH INVESTIGATION!
Review: Great job, Mr. Long, on your investigation! I have always know Bigfoot was a MAN! I am closely connected with the community around Roger Patterson and have known this story for a long time. Isn't it funny how people just do not want to believe that bigfoot is a hoax? I guess they would not receive those grant funds for research if the truth were out. Although some of the details were exhausting, they were needed to put this myth to rest.
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