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Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Monday, December 14, 2009

RICHARD FREEMAN: Sticking it to the man

I recently offered to finish writing a book on the wendigo, the Ojibwa/Cree cannibal spirit/monster. Mike Hallowell was writing it but his recent ill health was hindering the project. I had sourced several in-depth texts on the subject but Mike was unable to get them from the library in Newcastle and when he tried ordering them he was just messed around for weeks on end.

When I took over the project I ordered three texts at the library in Exeter. Two of the books were found in the British Library very quickly and I rushed to pick them up when they arrived at Exeter.

However, they told me that taking them out was not permitted - this was annoying but at least I could photocopy them. Then I was told that I was not allowed to photocopy them either!

Libraries are supposed to be about the dissemination of knowledge not the greedy, pointless hoarding of it. It was not as if these were old or fragile books that might be damaged by photocopying; one was from 1981 and the other from the early 1960s.

So what did I do I hear you ask, oh, gentle reader.

I said **** the British Library and photocopied them anyway; the whole lot. It cost about £25!

Previously I had failed to find these books for sale,but the day after I finished photocopying them I found both on ABE Books!

The British Library is sending me the third text as - guess what - a photocopy!

2 comments:

Richie said...

That is hilarious. Our respective governments find new ways to look stupid.

Anonymous said...

You tell em' Richard! It's obviously a government conspiracy to stop the truth coming out. Give em' hell.