Encyclopedia of Urban Legends
Jan Harold Brunvand
ISBN 0-393-32358-7
Cover Illustration: Ames Design
We've all heard the urban legend of the "Roasted Baby" or "The Choking Dog".
Now you can read all of the legends from this mammoth book of urban legends, from "The Ice Man" to "The Bullet Baby". The book is categorized into
continents, country specific legends and includes entries that explain
how to collect, classify, and analyze urban legends. The book also traces
the evolution of the legends and their connections to fields such as film,
literature, comic books, music and other popular culture. Particular
attention is paid to how the Internet has facilitated these urban legends,
and speeded their dissemination.
Excerpt:
The Hunter's Nightmare (retold in my own words)
An unsuccessful hunter hits a deer on his way home with his car. Although
it's illegal, he decides to throw the deer into the back seat of his car and
attach his hunting tag to the deer's ear. What the hunter didn't realize was
that the deer was only stunned and began to revive. The deer started to
flail and kick, and was struggling to escape so the man grabs a tire iron
and proceeds to hit the deer with it. He misses the deer and hits his
hunting dog which angers the dog and he begins to attack the hunter. The
hunter escapes the car and retreats to a phone booth to call 911 to report
that there is a deer inside his car destroying it and a dog attacking him.
The book is well written, with amazing reference material and capabilities.
It is also a great tool for those Hallow's Eve midnight scary story telling
moments or just to scare the knickers off of your kids!
If you like urban legends, pick up this book and add it to your library, I
enjoyed it, I think you will too!
Sheal
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