Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating, enlightening book
Review: I just finished reading Greg's fascinating book and I have concluded that Roger Patterson was an extraordinarily lucky individual. - Lucky Roger lived in the Yakima region at the time that Bigfoot began appearing and leaving tracks. He even lived on the same road where Bigfoot tracks were found! And, he died about the same time that Bigfoot apparently moved on. Sadly, there were no reported sightings, tracks or other evidence before or after Lucky Roger lived in the area. Apparently the Yakama Indians did have ancient legends of Bigfoot, but I understand that they have no reported sightings in contemporary times. - Bigfoot was sighted in Yakima the night before Patterson was scheduled to do a book signing in town at the Bon Marche. What a boon for him! - Lucky Roger would put up promotional posters about Bigfoot and within two weeks there would be local sightings and purported Bigfoot activity. Again, what a wondrous coincidence! - Roger Patterson, amateur Bigfoot hunter, set out to film a Bigfoot. He rents/steals a camera, travels hundreds of miles to an area of reported prints, and is able to do what no one before or since has done - capture Bigfoot on film! And it was on his first try to film a Bigfoot! Wow, is that amazing or what? And his trip to California was after he told someone that he was going to make a million dollars on Bigfoot, and after he copyrighted the name Bigfoot. - Lucky Roger was able to somehow get the film shot on Friday in Bluff Creek, shipped up to Yakima, and then shipped down to Palo Alto, California to be developed by Kodak, and then sent back up to Yakima, to be shown to his buddies on Sunday. The logistics of the shipping aside, that's another feat than no one else could have done because Kodak never open on weekends for ANYBODY. Anybody but Lucky Roger that is. Mere mortals would have had to lie about when it was shot. Lucky Roger must have really lived right for all these astonishing coincidences to come together for him. Of course, there are a lot of other unlucky people in the Yakima area. Just about anybody who ever did business with Roger Patterson, or who loaned him money. Greg Long interviewed and taped about 40 people in his book and they all tell the same story: Roger Patterson was an ethhically challenged individual. But according to the fundamentalist zealots of the bigfoot "religion", Roger's character is totally irrelevant. They believe that Lucky Roger's widespread reputation in Yakima as a "shady" individual and a "con artist" should not influence how people view his story. They claim that just because Lucky Roger had the motive, opportunity and means to perpetrate a hoax, that in no way should cast any doubt on the authenticity of the film. But, for the true believers in the Patterson-Gimlin film, nothing will sway their ironclad belief except seeing Bob Heironimus recreate the walk in a similar suit or to have Bob Gimlin confess that he's been lying all these years. I guess it's not so strange that the Bigfoot community has no problem with the amazing "luck" of Roger Patterson. Certain spokespersons for the bigfoot community tell us that the reason Bigfoot has not been caught is because he can teleport. Some "bigfoot experts" believe that no physical evidence such as bones has ever been found because Bigfoot is a supernatural being. And, one of the "experts" recently called upon to refute Greg Long's book contends that Bigfoot is descended from space aliens cohabiting with humans in ancient Sumeria.
Rating: 
Summary: Patterson film exposed
Review: It is author Greg Long, not Bigfoot, who should be classified as an endangered species following the howls of wrath from those who hold the fabled Patterson footage most dear. Forget the rantings of the fanatics and the fruitcakes, Long has penned a powerful work which (for this reader at least) finally lays to rest the 37-year-old mystery surrounding the Patterson film. In condemning and ignoring the most important Bigfoot book since John Napier's in 1972, the Bigfooters are displaying the same blinkered attitude they so often accuse the scientific world of showing. Patterson is revealed as a get-rich schemer who hit pay-dirt by faking the famous '67 (Big)footage. Big questions must be asked as to why long-time BF researchers such as Byrne, Dahinden and Green did not unearth such damning evidence in 40 years what Greg Long's dogged detective work achieved in five. The Making of Bigfoot is an enjoyable read - informative, poignant and funny in turn - and a refreshing change from the slavish, one-eyed approach to this subject so many previous authors have portrayed. No wonder Greg Long is being pilloried for slaying Bigfoot's sacred cow. Patterson despite being painted as the villain of the piece clearly pulled off a masterful hoax and comes across as considerably more intelligent than the legions of misguided disciples who have blindly followed his false trail.
Rating: 
Summary: wholly inconsequential
Review: Having looked forward to this book, just the latest in a long line of attempts to 'debunk' the Patterson film ( and thus, the bigfoot mythos in general ) and after finally reading it, I am greatly disapointed. Having anticipated what was touted as a final, fairhanded and CREDIBLE expose of the film, what I found within it's pages is a schizophrenic mishmash of sorts. Several of the author's 'witnesses' contradict each other ( and themselves )on many key points, and his facts are presented in a somewhat haphazard manner, particularly where the alleged monkey suit is involved, and this is perhaps the most damning of all. This should not be taken lightly, as this is the central point of his thesis - that the 'bigfoot' in the film is actually a man in a suit. However, this final, irrevocable demolition of the sasquatch legend falls well short of the mark, as his two main witnesses offer conflicted and extremely contradictory testimony as regards the 'suit' itself, and as such, the promised knock-out punch turns out to be a feeble wrist-flap. What most of the media fail to mention is that one of the parties behind this latest revelation was involved a few years back in a widely-seen FOX-TV special wherein he presented an entirely different scenario behind the 'creation' of the bigfoot suit and even produced 'evidence' that pointed to the true identity of the man who supposedly wore the suit ( an entirely different individual from the man who is now claiming that honor ). How does this square with his latest claims? This seems to be a case of 'throw bull**** at the wall and see what sticks'. To date, and to my knowledge, there have been no less than SIX different individuals all claiming to have been 'the man in the suit'. Having seen the purely anecdotal and contradictory statements the author is presenting as proof, I can see no reason to accept this latest set of revelations as being any more reliable than the other claims. Perhaps the bigfoot in the film is an actual undescribed hominid. Perhaps not. However, if what was filmed WAS a man in a suit, one should like to see actual evidence ( capital E, in the skeptics parlance ). Please provide some tangible example to back up your claim. It has been nearly 40 years since the footage was shot. Special effects, make-up and costuming have made incredible advances since that time. If the author's claims are true, then it should certainly be possible to recreate the suit that was seen in the film. That, and that alone, would constitue proof, and the matter could finally be laid to rest. This book was a resounding disapointment. If the Patterson film is a fake, I look forward to reading an account that will provide reliable evidence of that fact. That is what I thought this book would be. It wasn't. What I got was contradictory anecdotes and character assassination.
Rating: 
Summary: is this a review of a message board?
Review: First off, there will be LOTS of people who hang on to the belief that bigfoot exists that won't even listen if the suit actually turned up someday ("It's a fake," they'll say). Then, like many who have "reviewed" a book they never read here, they will condem it without reading it. Folks like this have almost a religion of bigfoot. But, serious palentologists will mostly say that anything's possible, but don't take Bigfoot serious. There's a reason for that.
Without the film, it's all just a hoax supported by people with strong imaginations seeing bears.
Now, that being said, I agree that the book makes some serious leaps of faith the other way. Yes, it's true that there's not a lot of proof, and I also concur that there have been more than one man to claim to have worn the "suit," and the suit has never turned up. If I'd made that film, I would have destroyed the suit, as Patterson made some SERIOUS coin from the film, which is something the Bigfoot faithful refuse to point out. It's their rosetta stone, their only tangible evidence that can be pointed to, something you just don't mess with:
"See that grainy, blurry film of something in the distance? THERE! There's your proff! It exists, the lystery is solved forever and always!"
And they won't allow anything to step in the way. This book is what those who never took bigfoot seriously have been waiting for.
As for me, I love a good hoax story, and I'm far more inclined to believe this book than I am the comical notion of some ape man living not far from my house. However, just as there's no good proof that the thing ever existed, this book fall short of providing the proof that this critter exists.
I wish it did exist, really I do.
You've all been duped, but I'm not sure if this book explains for certain how it was done... Still, it's fascinating to read. You either believe in this stuff or you don't. THAT ALONE will dictate if you like this book or not. And that's the saddest thing of all.
Rating:
Summary: Complete Garbage
Review: I just read this thing in Borders bookstore. I sat and read it in the store. It's complete garbage. They missed a few crucial details as well, which proves to me they are lying.
Makes me wonder why after 37 years they never came out and re-enacted the whole thing. After this book, Greg needs to take a long look at himself.
Rating:
Summary: 3rd revision of review is best. Long is shot down by 4 PhDs.
Review: This book is not fiction, so it is hard to rate it, except on
truthfulness. In point of fact, author Long has no way to verify the story of Bob Hieronimus. If BH lied, then the entire book is pointless. I find that BH has first said the costume was made from the hide of the RED horse, then he changes it later to say it was from a GRAY horse, which matches the film better,of course. He also does NOT say any baby was sewed onto his costume
nor any jumping about robot baby. But-- Dr Bernard Heuvelmans,
Dr. Thomas Tomasi and one Dr. (Name withheld) all anthropologists
or biologists, have DRAWN SKETCHES OF A BIGFOOT BABY ON THE MOTHER IN THE FILM, that they say they see in the film. Also
one skeptic and one average viewer have done the same.Also,Dr. Paul LeBlond and his son both stated that they saw a baby jumping about on the shoulder. See these
at http://www.bigfoot.org -- and, how do you fake a huge female b*tt and a b*tt crack? Sorry Greg... no stars. Jon-Erik Beckjord
Rating:
Summary: Usual Skeptic Ignorance
Review: It has to be understood from the outset that more people have claimed to be inside that suit than have claimed to be at the original Woodstock. Have we all forgotten so quickly that Bigfoot "died" last year with some other publicity nut? (Note to all who are going to "admit" to be being in the suit: Be sure not to give your "admission" until you are sure that everyone else has given theirs.) The book DESPERATELY needs to address the other wackos who have claimed to be the apeman and give respectable reasons why they are not to be trusted. As it stands I can think of at least 5 people right now who have "admitted" to being bigfoot. At the very least, 4 out of those 5 people are obviously wackos, which leads us to the very real chance that 5 out of 5 are. They ALL claimed to have known Patterson, they ALL claimed to know who built the suit, etc etc.
BORING
As sorry as I am to dash the intrepid savior of Kal Korff, this movie is 40 years old, and by this time, saying "I know the secret!!!" can and should be nothing less than having bigfoot's head in your duffle bag. Trotting out yet another old fogey with the same tired story is yesterday's news with a capital YAWN. Bigfoot believers have to give us a body. Fair enough. Therefore Korff has to give us the suit. Far easier task, I should think. Yet no "hoax" savior has ever even attempted it. Nobody has been able to show us so much as a hairy glove.
Until they do, Korff and all his buddies are just selling snake oil.
Buy Loren Coleman's Bigfoot book, if you want something with some substance.
Rating:
Summary: "The Making of Bigfoot"--DEBUNKED
Review: RECENT PATTERSON-GIMLIN FILM "CONFESSIONS" DEBUNKED Recently two men, Bob Hieronimus and Philip Morris, "confessed" their involvement in the Patterson-Gimlin film, which they claimed was a hoax. Hieronimus claimed to have been the person who wore the alleged suit, while Morris claimed to have been the person who fabricated the suit. The claims are touted by Greg Long and Kal Korff in their book, "The Making of Bigfoot: The Inside Story", endorsed by Prometheus Books, a publishing company run by Paul Kurtz, chairman of CSICOP. However, their own claims disprove them. Morris stated that the arms of the alleged suit were made to look longer than human arms by attaching the hands to sticks that would extend the length of the arms. The problem here is that the subject in the Patterson-Gimlin film exhibits hand flexion. This is impossible to duplicate by merely extending the arms with sticks. A sophisticated prothesis would be needed. Morris' claims to not fit the actual film data, and they can now be dismissed as false. If that alone were not enough to disprove the claims, the individuals' descriptions of the alleged suit are entirely contradictory. Morris claims that the suit was made in six pieces (head, full body with arms and legs, two hands, and two feet). He also claims that synthetic strands of dynel nylon material were attached to knitted cloth to form his suit. In contrast, Hieronimus claims that the suit came in three pieces (head, upper body with arms and hands, and lower body with legs and feet). Furthermore, he states that Patterson fabricated the suit from the skin of a dead red horse, gluing fur from a coat onto the hide. These two claims are mutually exclusive, yet both are being labelled as the truth by Long, Korff, Kurtz, and Prometheus Books. In conclusion, the claims are clearly without merit. And the uncritical acceptance of the claims by the supposedly "skeptical" Kurtz and his company reveals an obvious lack of skepticism. I hereby waive any intellectual property rights that I may have to this review, and request that anyone who is willing and able would copy this review and disseminate it to as many people as is possible or permissible within the law.
Rating:
Summary: Not objective, not well researched
Review: This book is long on circumstantial evidence and hearsay and short on any kind of hard evidence. It totally discounts the decades of scientific and forensic analysis that supports the film's authenticity and mocks those who do not. If I could have given it negative stars, I would have.
Rating:
Summary: There should be a 'no stars' option for this book !
Review: This book arrived on my doorstep, and was opened eagerly. I wish it hadn't !
Long has produced what he would refer to as an investigative book, with very little in the way of investigation - he didn't even bother to watch the Patterson-Gimlin movie on anything better than an old VHS tape, when there is a high quality DVD version easily available. The book 'interviews' a number of people (Long's Publicist Kal Korff, who wrote the forward claimed publicly that they had been 'deposed' - this is not true), and from the very start, you could see he had an agenda fuelled by the promise of a later TV show.
The book insults our intelligence, bringing forward two 'witnesses' - one who claims to have worn the suit, and one who made the suit - their descriptions don't even come close to matching on any level. Long's response to that was 'thats okay'! No Mr. Long, it is not okay. For the record, the 'suit man' Bob Heironimous claims that Patterson had made the suit from a skinned 'dead red horse' - Philip Morris the suit maker claims it was made from a synthetic fabric, and that is was an off-the-shelf gorilla costume. Philip Morris has a track record of jumping on the band-wagon - he went to the press years ago complaining that the Austin Powers character 'Dr. Evil' was stolen from his old road show, with a character called 'Dr. Evil' who wore a fez. - Morris can't even get his story straight about whether Patterson paid for the costume ! I wish Amazon could show you the photo of the gorilla suit that is printed in this book - it looks nothing like the object in the film. Long very neatly sidesteps scientific papers on the subject of this film that detail arm proportions, muscle mass, fingers flexing. Long ignores the detail of breasts - neither he nor Morris explain why they went to the trouble of making fake breasts. Long tells so many simple lies in this book - (for example, that the Ford Motor Company gave Roger Patterson 'Land Rovers' - Land Rover are not part of Ford, and never have been - Ford would never supply rival vehicles), that it is impossibly to trust anything he has said in the book - he badgered relatives to produce this book. Roger Patterson's widow had to threaten to call the police to remove him from her property twice. I keep an open mind on whether the film was a hoax or not, but one thing is certain - this book is nothing more than a fabrication and a vicious character assassination from start to finish.
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