The very best book ever on this subject: This author is a rare find in literature of this kind: a genuine, professional folklorist who carefully documents his subject and traces its beginnings. Brumvand is the first author to consult on urban folklore. This book is a keeper, one to read and re-read.

Would have liked more discussion but it was interesting enough. ( )

Brunvand discusses a wide array of traditional urban legends. The focus is on American lore but a few European and Asian versions are also cited when applicable. Most of the tales are quite familiar. A few I had personally not heard before. It was interesting to find ones I recognized from references in other areas of pop culture but had never realized were originally urban legends. I do wish some mention of those references was discussed. I also would have liked the author to have gone into greater detail when discussing where the tales emanated from and what their cultural significance was, although he does do that to some extent (the book is not just a collection of the stories). A little more analysis would have gone a long way. ( )

This is a classic study of urban legends and modern folklore, and basically is the book that brought the term "urban legend" into the mainstream. It wasn't quite as in-depth as I remembered it being, possibly because I've read many more such books since I first read it back in highschool. Still, I'm glad to have re-read it, and I'm pleased that I now own my own copy. ( )

Fascinating exploration of urban legends by the coiner of the term. Suffers from too many Freudian flailings. ( )