From: Terry W. Colvin <fortean1@mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 20:58:46 -0700
Fwd Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 10:24:01 -0500
Subject: Ivan T. Sanderson (1911-1973) A Biography


Wonders, December 1992, pp. 65-67

by Mark A. Hall


Ivan T. Sanderson (1911-1973)

Twenty years ago an old friend died. He was a British subject
who chose to live in the U.S.A. During his life Ivan T.
Sanderson was first a nature writer and then avid fortean
author, devoting his later books and articles to mysterious
natural phenomena of all kinds. His life and work are difficult
to summarize adequately here. More information can be found in
an excellent biographical entry that appears in the National
Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. 57 (Clifton, NJ: J.T.
White, 1977), 192-194. The entry is unsigned but its
comprehensiveness and accuracy indicate that it could only have
been written by his widow and second wife, Sabina (who has also
written under the name Marion Fawcett).

Sanderson's earlier books are still cited today for his
observations on mammals (Living Mammals of the World), on
elephants (The Dynasty of Abu), 0n primates (The Monkey
Kingdom), on whales (Follow the Whale), and on jungles (Book of
Great Jungles). It can be said that he was always controversial.
One is as likely to find a disparaging off-hand remark made about
him in a popular science article of his day as to find a
reference citing his work. But such remarks were usually in the
nature of a cheap shot without the elaboration that would have
shown that Sanderson was incorrect. He was always taking
positions on the cutting edge of scientific inquiry.

His curiosity led him to pursue the mysteries of science full-
time. His later books included two on unidentified flying
objects (Uninvited Visitors and Invisible Residents) and three
collections of essays on a wide range of topics ("Things", More
"Things", and Investigating the Unexplained). His most
influential book has been his 525-page opus on the varieties of
Yeti/Bigfoot/Giant mysteries, Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to
Life. It is the basis for all work done since that time in
pursuit of mysterious primates. Even the old guard of Bigfoot
hunters who predate his book owe him a debt. Without it the
awareness of Sasquatch/Bigfoot might have continued to be as
regional as, for example, the many lake monsters. I think this
book and Uninvited Visitors represent Ivan's best work. He did
his best to meld an open mind with the scientific rigor of his
early training.

His "Things" and More "Things" are very good but have not had a
greater influence because they appeared as paperbacks only and
have always been hard to find. The publishers, Pyramid Books,
were notorious for poor distribution of their line of books. Now
the works are out of print and much sought-after.

Sanderson had another impact during his lifetime that might
easily be overlooked. I lived through the years that his popular
articles were appearing in American magazines. I think those
articles on strange happenings (from sea monsters to UFOs) were
broadly influential in maintaining a healthy curiosity about our
world and a healthy awareness of the existence of things yet
undiscovered. As professional scientists slumbered through the
last half of the twentieth century, a few influential voices
such as Sanderson's reached the general public to pique
curiosities and to assure witnesses to strange happenings that
they were not alone and they were not crazy.

Sanderson's popular articles appeared in the Saturday Evening
Post in the decade following 1944 covering such topics as sea
monsters and living dinosaurs. From the late 1940's till his
death in 1973 popular articles appeared in True, This Week,
Sports Afield, Argosy, Saga, Fantastic Universe, and Fate. Many
of these periodicals will be hard to find preserved today even
in library stacks. But these were popular magazines read and re-
read by millions of people. They were bought by the ordinary
person and passed around, read in barber shops and in military
service day rooms around the globe. No one today reaches a
similar readership with these topics and with the solid
background that Sanderson gave to his articles.

Only one scientific establishment publication, an Italian
journal called Genus published in Rome, had the vision to print
some of Sanderson's later works on the unusual. From 1962-1969
they published four essays on the possible survival of primitive
sub-men.

Since Sanderson's death specific allegations have been
repeatedly published stating that he died from a brain tumor and
that condition caused peculiar behavior in his later years.
These allegations are complete rubbish and reflect only upon the
dubious credibility of the sources. I can personally refute them
because I was an assistant to Sanderson in the last few months
of his life and lived in his house at the time. I see no reason
to detail the man's medical history except to say that he died
from cancer in his abdomen for which he was treated by doctors
at the time. One of the things that occupied him almost up to
the day of his death was giving radio interviews by telephone to
numerous broadcasters around the country who were his old
friends. To the end he remained a forceful and entertaining
advocate of investigating true mysteries, despite the pain that
came with his illness.

Recently Ivan Sanderson came back into the news, briefly, upon
the revelation of a hoax in Florida in 1948. All the recent
discussions have been based upon an article in the St.
Petersburg Times for 11 June 1988. That article explains, in
convincing fashion, how large three-toed tracks were made on
beaches and stories were invented to fake the appearance of a
mystery in 1948. Ivan Sanderson investigated these and failed to
identify the hoaxed elements of the reports. This episode is a
lesson to all who would investigate such mysteries to look for
repetitive jokers such as perpetrated this hoax. It would be
unfair to Sanderson, however, to discuss this error as if it
were the only thing he had done. If we do this then we justify
the self-interested and pathetic flight by professional
scientists from any investigation of the mysteries that crop up
and are neglected. The possibilities of hoaxes,
misidentifications, and bogus elements introduced by debunkers
will always plague us. The professionals won't risk anything
because they stay away and invent excuses. Those who do
investigate take risks and the most active of them are open to
being burned. If we venture nothing, nothing will be gained.
This is the crux of why most professional scientists aren't
gaining anything and will be remembered as mere time-servers in
their professions.

In common with the rest [of] us, Ivan had flaws and made some
mistakes. Not all of his ideas will hold up and some will be put
aside with just cause. But his positive influence upon today's
world has been widespread. And the wisdom in much of his works
will be proven yet in years to come. This is a common
characteristic of the best fortean endeavors, that vindication
can only come many years later. The fortean problems are the
difficult questions that are routinely avoided for generations
by the boffins, as Ivan might have referred to the research
scientists. Sanderson deserves to be remembered for his
contributions to organizing the mysteries that still intrigue us
and for his unique encouragement to the generations now living
to explore this marvelous world of ours.


Selected Bibliography of Ivan T. Sanderson

ANIMAL TREASURE (1937, Viking Press)

CARIBBEAN TREASURE (1939, Viking Press)

LIVING TREASURE (1941, Viking Press)

ANIMAL TALES, editor (1946, Knopf)

HOW TO KNOW THE NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS (1951, Little, Brown)

LIVING MAMMALS OF THE WORLD (1955, Hanover House)

FOLLOW THE WHALE (1956, Little, Brown)

ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN: LEGEND COME TO LIFE (1961, Philadelphia:
Chilton). An abridged paperback edition with additional
footnotes appeared in 1968 from Pyramid Books. That edition was
reprinted in 1977 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

THE CONTINENT WE LIVE ON (1961, Random House)

THE DYNASTY OF ABU (1962, Knopf)

BOOK OF GREAT JUNGLES authored with David Loth (1965, Messner)

UNINVITED VISITORS (1967, Cowles Education Corp.)

"THINGS" (1967, Pyramid Books)

MORE "THINGS" (1969, Pyramid Books)

INVISIBLE RESIDENTS (1970, World)

INVESTIGATING THE UNEXPLAINED (1972, Prentice-Hall)

GREEN SILENCE (1974, David McKay)


--
"Only a zit on the wart on the heinie of progress." Copyright
1992, Frank Rice


Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA)
fortean1@mindspring.com