On Halloween night, Cosimo is proud to announce the publication of the first two books in Cosimo’s new series Loren Coleman Presents, classic works of cryptozoology in beautiful new editions with new introductions by Loren Coleman, one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists.

The Romance of Natural History, by British naturalist Philip Henry Gosse, was a bestseller in its day. First published in 1860, this is a charming, passionate around-the-world journey through nature wild, serene, and mysterious, from a night-attack of wolves in Mongolia and nearly fatal combat with a kangaroo to comic scenes with “the Elephant” and an examination of a supposed sea-serpent.

“In the annals of cryptozoology,” says Coleman, “Gosse is credited as one of the grandfathers of the discipline… In this book, one finds his records of the sea serpent, giant snakes, African unicorn, South America ape, and Ceylonese devil-bird, reflecting this early interest in romantic zoology, the precursor of cryptozoology.” This new edition is complete with the original elegant illustrations.

The Great Sea Serpent, from pioneering cyptozoologist Antoon Cornelis Oudemans, is the legendary 1892 survey of the reports of monsters of the sea — it was the first of its kind, and had previously been difficult to find in print. Gathering sightings from around the globe and across the centuries, Oudemans eliminates the obvious hoaxes or honest mistakes and then, from dozens of legitimate sighting, draws conclusions about sea-serpent physiology, geographic distribution, and more. This astonishing book “still influences thoughts and theories about the great unknowns in the oceans,” according to Coleman.

Click here to buy The Romance of Natural History at Amazon; click here to buy The Great Sea Serpent at Amazon.

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