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Guide Picks - Books for Urban Legends Aficionados
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What do you get for the urban legends fan who knows everything? Here's a selection of books notable for their authoritative and in-depth coverage of urban folklore, written by world-renowned folklorists.
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1) The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings
by Jan Harold Brunvand, 1989. The earliest in Brunvand's urban legends series and the most authoritative reference work. It contains essential definitions, criteria and historical information for the study and appreciation of urban legends.
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2) The Choking Doberman and Other 'New' Urban Legends
by Jan Harold Brunvand, 1986. Besides providing a satisfyingly detailed history of the title legend in all its variations, Professor Brunvand investigates tales of "Superglue Revenge," rumors of Satanic symbolism in "The Procter & Gamble Trademark" and more.
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3) Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends
by Jan Harold Brunvand, 1999. A huge collection of contemporary legends, some the reader will find familiar and others not. Brunvand updates his coverage of older tales with new variants sighted in the media and, of course, on the Internet.
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4) Aliens, Ghosts and Cults: Legends We Live
by Bill Ellis, 2000. Using a number of contemporary legends as examples, Professor Ellis redefines them as a social process over and above their traditional classification as a narrative form. Harrowing tales of extraterrestrials, ghostly encounters and child-sacrificing Satanic cults form the backbone of this fascinating study.
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5) The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story
by Jan Harold Brunvand, 2001. Revisiting such legends as "The Baby Roast," "Lights Out!" and "The Missing Day in Time," Jan Brunvand plays folklore detective, ferreting out the histories behind the stories and demonstrating how they were debunked. This scholarly book never fails to entertain as well as enlighten. Highly recommended for those with a true abiding interest in contemporary folklore.
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