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Urban Legends A Collection of International Tall Tales and Terrors
Gillian Bennett, Paul Smith
Book Code: GR3952
ISBN: 0-313-33952-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-33952-3
376 pages, n/a
Greenwood Press
Publication: 4/30/2007
List Price: $85.00 (UK Sterling Price: £47.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Subjects: Reviews:
  • This entertaining guide is suitable for a wide range of audiences and amply demonstrates for the students that academic scholarship can be quite fun.
    —Lawrence Looks at Books     January 2008
  • This collection describes urban legends in nine themed chapters: city life; horror; accidents, fate, and chance; the body and disease; animals; sex and nudity; merchandise; murder, death, and burial; and the supernatural. The authors compiled stories from friends and colleagues, newspapers and magazines, folklore books and journals, compilations, and correspondence. Interpretation of the legends or explanations for their popularity is avoided, as is discussion of whether they are true. Instead, background on the story and examples of them are given. Criteria for urban legends include presence of a narrative structure, outrageous content in an everyday setting, anonymous origins, and multiple examples. The four indexes are organized by title, examples in film and literature, and subject.
    —Reference & Research Book News     August 2007
  • Studying urban legends may encourage students to think critically about information found in questionable resources such as the Web. Chapters include "City Life" beginning with the standard, "Alligators in the Sewers," "Horror," "Accidents, Fate, and Chance," "The Body and Diseases," "Animals," "Sex and Nudity," "Merchandise," "Murder, Death, and Burial" and "The Supernatural." Chapters have brief introductions and each legend is discussed with an example and suggestions for further reading. Appendixes include "A Provisional List of Urban Legends in Film and Literature," further reading and online resources, the "Urban Legend Title Index" and three indexes, "Urban Legends on Film," "in Literature" and a subject index. This provides excellent examples of carefully researched and reported information about tall tales.
    —GALE Reference for Students     June 2007
Description: "Don't pick up that hitchhiker!" "Don't get in that car without looking in the back seat!" "If you knew what they put in that, no way would you eat it!" Urban legends are central to everyday experience. Everyone has heard the story about such-and-such, and while it sounds impossible, so-and-so swears that it must be true. These legends are everywhere, from high schools and colleges to offices and organizations. They appear in films, television series, and novels, and are now widely spread over the Internet. This book collects and annotates more than 150 urban legends from around the world and is a valuable resource for students, general readers, and anyone interested in contemporary culture. Readers will find a wide range of urban legends, such as:

  • The Black Lady,
  • The Thug in the Back Seat,
  • Jesus as Hitchiker,
  • The Devil at the Disco,
  • The Hitchiker from Space,
  • Bloody Mary,
  • The Man in Black,
  • The Mutilated Shopper,
  • and many more.

    Each entry provides introductory information about a legend, including its presence in films and other creative works; the text of the legend; a list of works for further reading; and references to similar tales. The legends are grouped in thematic chapters, such as animals, city life, and horror. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography and a detailed index. Students of literature will enjoy studying and analyzing these tales, while students in social studies courses will welcome them as a reflection of contemporary concerns.
    • LC Card Number: 2006038685
    LCC Class: GR78
    Dewey Class: 398
    PDF Catalogs:
    Academic Library Spring 2008.pdf
    Greenwood Spring Reference 2008.pdf
    Folklore and Folklife 2007.pdf
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