The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings

With 250 entries, this updated filmography and resource is the encyclopedic guide to all things lycanthropic and a fascinating compendium of comparative mythology and folklore. Delving into the 15th century to uncover the origins of the werewolf legend, it is an eye-opening, blood-pounding tour through the ages, landing on the doorstep of creatures like hirsute mass-murderer Albert Fish, Michael Lupo (Lupo is "wolf" in Italian), and Fritz Haarman who slaughtered and ate his victims–selling the leftovers as steaks and roasts in his butcher shop. The photos and drawings provide hair-raising evidence of strange and obsessional behavior through the centuries, and a helpful chronology of lycanthropic activities dates back 140,000 years to the first mixing of human and lupine blood. Werewolf hunters of all ages will appreciate the detailed section on slaying the beast, while potential victims will find the information on detecting and warding away the occasional wayward wolfman more to their immediate liking—if not need.