[extropy-chat] Ivan T. Sanderson (1911-1973) - short biography

[Terry W. Colvin]

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 offhand 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 at mindspring.com >
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