Customer Reviews
We all know the stories - By: , 15 Jan 1999 
A fabulous introduction into the propagation of urban legend. We already know the stories - the hook or alligatorsin New York's sewers. The book is appropriate for the general audience, but has an academic twist. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Excellent book about stories and culture - By: , 07 Aug 1998 This book is excellent. By reading it you get a good scope on what urban legends are & how they fulfil their rolein communicationin society. I have done some researchin Folklore & Urban Legendsin the Netherlands, & Brunvand's work has had a major influence on the scope of my thesis. He knows what he is talking about. This book gives a good insightin storytelling, culture & American Society. A must for researchersin cultural studies, & probably a good book for those who want to learn more about the American society. It is fun to read, clearly written & Brunvand has a nice style of writing. I think many people would like this book, whether they are doing research, are on holiday, on the train or whatever. It's a book of all times, & so are the stories...
Entertaining one-day read, but only for fun - By: , 23 Jun 1998 
I bought this book to get a better understanding of WHY urban myths & other word-of-mouth stories are passed alongin our society. Basically, this is the first of many books later published by Brunvand which documents examples of popular urban legends.
Excellent introduction to urban folklore - By: , 12 May 1997 
"The Vanishing Hitchhiker," folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand's first book on urban legends, provides a thorough introduction to the definition, interpretation, & themes of urban folkore. About three dozen classic "friend of a friend" tales are coveredin depth; each is presented through several examples, accompanied by a detailed analysis, & listedin a Notes section highlighting folklore journal articles about it. Allin all, an excellent introduction for those who care to learn more about the field of urban folklore rather than just read collections of urban legends.
