Free Downloads Urban Legends: The As-Complete-As-One-Could-Be Guide To Modern Myths
Urban Legends is a remarkably complete collection of the modern myths that make the rounds in offices, college dorms, and every other place where people tell the stories that spring from our deepest fears and fascinations.Every culture has its folktales including ours. Except, instead of involving gods and goddesses or princes and princesses, ours involve "some guy my sister's best friend knows" or "someone who woke up in a motel room." They happened, supposedly, to real people, usually recently, in a particular place. And they touch the most sensitive nerves of our psyches with ironic twists, gross-out shocks, and moral lessons learned the hard way.From the classic tale "The Mexican Pet" in which the "dog" turns out to be no Chihuahua to the more unappetizing story of condoms as fast-food burger garnish, from surgically skilled kidney thieves to sexual experiments that end in the emergency room, Urban Legends relates more 300 of the most enticing, macabre, and unforgettable tales. Expertly told, they are arranged in such chapters as "Crazy Little Thang Called Sex," "Oh, Scare Me," "Campus Capers," "Corporate Convolutions," and "So Much For Comfort Food."Fascinating, chilling, and occasionally repulsive, Urban Legends has all your favorites and hundreds more.
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (April 11, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0609804944
ISBN-13: 978-0609804940
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #3,557,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #85 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Urban Legends #2185 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Folklore #9629 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Folklore & Mythology
The worst sin a book about Urban Legends could commit is to confuse the reader about what is fact, and what is fiction. This book does that time after time. The author hops around between Urban Legend and the truth that may have inspired it, and the writing is so poor that you can't keep track of what's what. The book is also filled with nonsensical run-on sentences; I often had to go back and reread certain sentences 3 or 4 times before just giving up. This book looks and reads like somone published it from their basement. N.E. Genge goes on my list of "Must-NOT-Read" Authors. People interested in a well-done book on the same topic should start with Paradox Press' excellent "Big Book of Urban Legends".
If ever a book cried out for a competent editor, this is the one. It's rife with misspellings, typos and incredibly obtuse prose. While it does fulfill its stated purpose of being a compendium of both classic and contemporary urban legends, it's an exhausting read because of its startling lack of polish. And if you find you're interested in learning whether or not a particular legend is true or even based in truth, I hope you're the patient type: the author often waits several pages before deciding to comment on the veracity of a story, sometimes saving up multiple stories and commenting on them collectively. That's when she chooses to weigh in on a tale's truthfulness at all, mind you. There are definitely better titles in this genre, not to mention the great Web sites covering the same territory.
Yes there are a few Urban Legends books out there now many taking advantage of the movie. Brunvand has been writing books on Urban Legends way before the movie and new interest in the topic ever came up, this book is can't compare to his but its not too bad its updated has new stories and legends. The other reviewer said this info is taken off the Urban Legends Reference Pages which may be true but it doesnt necessarly make it a bad book. Not everyone has access to a computer and/or the internet and not everyone knows about the best urban legends webpage either so this book is handy to take with you and share these fun and interesting urban legends with your friends.
Amazing how much of the material in this book came right off the Urban Legends Reference Pages web site. Save your money and visit the real thing.
from a critic stand point i can see how one would find fault in this, however unless you are looking for serious studies of urban legands i see little fault in this book. I read it a number of times in highschool and found it delightful and entertaining. Does she say what is legand and what is not, no not really, but somt of them should be obvious and other ....well thats what the show myth busters is for. However if one where looking for something fun with a selction of fictional facts this book would do that. Not only does it contain urban legends, but silly laws, dumb things people do in court(and else where), and more.
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