Ever since the first pathways were cleared through Maine's forested wilderness, something we now call Bigfoot has haunted the edges of civilization. The difference between a contemporary cryptozoological sighting and an encounter with a Wild Man in the eighteenth century is the modern presence of a popularly shared conception of Bigfoot. Whatever one may think of Bigfoot-an extant relict hominid, pure bunk, or something tantalizingly possible-the idea of a large, hairy, man-like creature roaming North American forests is ingrained in our culture. Shadows in the Woods chronicles Maine's rich Bigfoot record in Native American traditions and beliefs, Wild Man sightings, modern Bigfoot encounters, literary appearances of hairy man-like creatures, and strange somethings in tales and stories suggestive of Bigfoot. Whether physical or ethereal, the mysterious presence behind the legend of Bigfoot casts a significant shadow in the Pine Tree State.
