If you're interested in urban legends from a folklore standpoint, a research standpoint, or just a fan then you will appreciate this book. It is the most complete reference I have seen. Details of stories, their comparison with other stories, common stories from other parts of the world, and clear explanations. Brunvand has a knack for making it all understandable and avoids being dry and lecturing. For the stories themselves you would want to see his many other collections; for research and reference you can not do without this book.

If you are thinking for a urban legends book,this is the one you want. Has all the legands you can think of in it. From famuos ones to ones you have never heard of.

Anyone who has ever baby-sat alone at night knows how easy it is to scare yourself! As a city-girl, I couldn't relate to the Halloween hayride and that part, but the telephone ringing from in the house-- that's a scare I can recall. I grew up with three sisters, we all baby-sat, and I definitely did my share of late-nighters, alone in strange houses. We sisters shared all those stories: the hook, the murderer in the back seat, I can remember a few scarier ones even. What made then fun was that they couldn't happen to US,living in the city, so we could imagine the worst. This book just gets you started... remember the one about the yellow ribbon?

With the author not knowing anything about the history of these urban legends, he creates a fantasy world of lusty "facts" that has no historical context whatsoever. This is a terrible example of someone who has too much time on their hands.

I've always been one of those people who love to hear a good, ironic story - my alltime favourite being the babysitter who gets the crank calls - and was pleased to find this enjoyable series of books. This was my first one, and I really enjoyed it.

The review Amazon posted is true in a sense, but there are so many stories out there that I doubt that Jan will ever "rewrite the same book" over and over. Awesome book!

Professor Brunvand provides an informative and entertaining account of urban legends (or urban myths). Professor Brunvand is so revered that he was recently referred to in an episode of "Millenium" which dealt with urban myths.

I recommend that readers read his other books about urban legends.

Brunvand has made himself a cult figure with his attacks on urban legends. Unfortunately, he has spawned a cult of know-it-alls who see the debunking of urban legends as the only end of folklore studies. Brunvand misses the point: people often do not believe urban legends anyways, but enjoy the clever twists of fiction. Debunking is not enough to appreciate the tales he relates.

Who knew that the sheer number of urban legends could spawn yet another book? Brunvand is the legend specialist and his research is excellent as he relates the legends and then reveals their origins. It is amazing to read his books and realize how many people actually swear these stories are completely true zand happened to a friend of a friend's hairdresser. This outing revisits some old favorites and also brings to light a few new ones. It is a fitting addition to the Brunvand collection (which are some of the best gift books to give and receive).

This is another fine example of logic and reason applied to the popular "friend of a friend" stories of our time. Brunvand puts a great deal of effort into finding variations of urban legends spread out across the United States and the world, reaching back many years to a usually unfindable source. If you believe in critical thinking, then this is a good book for you.