Too Good to Be True The Colossal Book of Urban Legends

Too Good to Be True  The Colossal Book of Urban Legends
Author: Jan Harold Brunvand
Publsiher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 485
Release: 2011-02-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780393104165

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"If you enjoy these too-good-to-be-true tales, Brunvand's new book will give you hours of pleasure."—Chicago Tribune A fabulously entertaining book from the ultimate authority on those almost believable tales that always happen to a "friend of a friend." Alligators in the sewers? A pet in the microwave? A tragic misunderstanding of the function of cruise control? No, it didn't really happen to your friend's sister's neighbor: it's an urban legend. And no matter how savvy you think you are, you are sure to find in this collection of over 200 tales at least one story you would have sworn was true. Jan Harold Brunvand has been collecting and studying this modern folklore for over twenty years. In Too Good to Be True he captures the best stories in their best retellings, along with their latest variations and examples of how the stories have changed as they move from person to person and place to place. To help you find your favorite, Brunvand has arranged the tales thematically. "Bringing Up Baby" is full of episodes of child-rearing gone wrong, including the grisly tale of the drugged out baby-sitter who mistakes the kid for a turkey. "Funny Business" showcases stories of infamous lapses in customer service, such as the story of the shockingly expensive chocolate chip cookie recipe. And "The Criminal Mind" features both brilliant --if they were real --scams, as well as the purported antics of the less mentally gifted. Whether you want to become an expert debunker or just have plenty of laughs, this book will surprise and entertain you. Illustrated throughout. "Informative and entertaining.... Brunvand has collected more than 200 of the most-repeated and best-known examples of modern folk-myth."—Tampa Tribune "[N]ot only an entertaining anthology, but an excellent introduction to the study of folklore itself."—Publishers Weekly "A fun read... . All the classics are here from the killer upstairs to the Kentucky Fried Rat."—New City "Resonant stories that express our hidden anxieties ... make us laugh, [or] arouse our fascinated horror."—San Francisco Chronicle Book Review "Informative and entertaining... . Brunvand has collected more than 200 of the most-repeated and best-known examples of modern folk-myth."—Tampa Tribune "[N]ot only an entertaining anthology, but an excellent introduction to the study of folklore itself."—Publishers Weekly

Too Good to be True

Too Good to be True
Author: Jan Harold Brunvand
Publsiher: Unknown
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2001
Genre: Legends
ISBN: OCLC:852661870

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Be Afraid Be Very Afraid The Book of Scary Urban Legends

Be Afraid  Be Very Afraid  The Book of Scary Urban Legends
Author: Jan Harold Brunvand
Publsiher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2004-10-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780393350401

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An anthology of the most chilling urban legends of all time collected by the maestro himself. Urban legends are those strange, but seemingly credible tales that always happen to a friend of a friend. For the first time, Professor Jan Harold Brunvand, "who has achieved almost legendary status" (Choice), has collected the creepiest, most terrifying urban legends, many that have spooked you since your childhood and others that you believe really did occur—even if it was one town over to some poor hapless coed who left a party early only to be followed by a man who just got loose from a mental hospital. From the classic hook-man story told around many a campfire to "Saved by a Cell Phone," these spine-tingling urban legends will give you goose bumps, even when you know they can't be true. Still, you'll continue to check the backseat of your car at gas stations and look under your bed at night before praying for sleep.

Urban Legends

Urban Legends
Author: Thomas J. Craughwell
Publsiher: Black Dog & Leventhal
Total Pages: 688
Release: 2005-03-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781603762632

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A fascinating, creepy, frightening, disgusting, and hilarious collection of some of the world's most popular and enduring tall tales. With themes that run the gamut from funny to sick, risqué to informative, and frightening to disgusting, Urban Legends features fantastic yarns that are remarkable for their uncanny ability to travel the world by word of mouth. We've all heard the one about the alligators that roam New York City's sewers, or how "Mikey" of Life Cereal fame died from eating Pop Rocks mixed with Coke. And what about the flustered parents who left their baby on the car roof, or the scuba diver who was found in the middle of a forest after a fire? These classic tall tales are featured here in all of their creepy glory along with hundreds of others, and they're guaranteed to amuse, enlighten, and intrigue, but be careful: they may stick in your mind forever.

Urban Legends

Urban Legends
Author: Gail Barbara Stewart
Publsiher: Capstone
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2012
Genre: Urban folklore
ISBN: 9781601523235

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Describes common urban legends, including how they can form, why they are popular, and how modern technology allows urban legends to spread around the world.

Information Research

Information Research
Author: Carla J. List-Handley
Publsiher: Kendall Hunt
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2002
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0787290572

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The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story

The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story
Author: Jan Harold Brunvand
Publsiher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2000
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0252070046

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"Here he [the author] looks in detail at a dozen rampant and long-lived examples of this vigorous category of contemporary folklore, tracing their historyies, variations, sources, and meanings."--Jacket.

The Fact or Fiction Behind Urban Myths

The Fact or Fiction Behind Urban Myths
Author: Paul Mason
Publsiher: Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2015-12-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781482442755

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There are urban myths about all kinds of different things, but how many of these myths are actually true? This book takes a look at many different myths, exploring their origins and assigning a “fact” or “phony” label to each after careful evaluation. Fun fact boxes and amusing cartoons and illustrations help explore common beliefs—can people get sucked out of an airplane bathroom’s toilet? Do human fingernails keep growing after a person dies? The only way to find the truth is to keep turning the page!