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Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. . - New Books - book review
Skeptical Inquirer, July-August, 2002 by Kendrick Frazier, Benjamin Radford
Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. Jan Harold Brunvand. ABC-CLIO, 130 Cremona Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93116. 2001. ISBN: 1-576-07076-X. 324 pp. $75, hardcover. One of the world's foremost authorities on urban legends, folklorist, professor, and CSICOP Fellow Jan Harold Brunvand, has finally put together the world's first fairly complete encyclopedia of urban legends.
It is, writes Brunvand, an "introduction to the scholarly side of urban legend studies as well as to the popularization and commercialization of this modern folkloric genre." It is cross-referenced, with urban legends organized by individual legends as well as topics (such as "Nudity," "Babies," and "Accidents"). The biggest drawback is that many legends get only a brief treatment; however, given the breadth and complexity of legends, fuller citations would have doubled the size of the book. Though the hefty price tag may put off some readers, the exhaustive information on so many urban legends makes this a delightful book both as reference for the folklore student and as perusing pleasure for the interested layman. Handy to keep near your computer for the next time someone forwards you a chain e-mail about Neiman-Marcus cookie recipes or warnings about gang initiation killings.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
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