The Watkins Book of Urban Legends
by Gail de Vos
Narrated by Kelly Burke
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Pub Date 12 Nov 2024 | Archive Date 14 Nov 2024
Watkins Audio | Watkins
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Description
A comprehensive and entertaining collection of urban legends from around the world, with a history and analysis of the origin of each tale, compiled by a leading authority in the field.
A rich and unique collection of folktales and urban legends from around the world. Each story comes with an accompanying brief note to provide context. Including new tales reflecting new concerns; old tales repurposed for new audiences and new ways of telling.
The collection illustrates that these stories are now alive across many new media. This is the first such popular book to bring together stories with both traditional and digital media origins and to examine how the phenomenon of social media has affected both the spread of urban legends and their very nature.
- Features the uniquely modern manifestation of folk mythology and legend, now made ubiquitous by the internet; the conspiracy theory.
- Includes urban legends such as: The Pickled Hand, The Babysitter, The Sandman.
- Includes conspiracy theories such as: Wild Fires, Fifteen Minute Cities and Organ Theft.
- 40% of the stories originate in North America, 30% in Europe, 20% in Asia, 10% in Africa and elsewhere
- The book also shows how stories spread and change from the country of origin to become global.
Advance Praise
'Over the past half century the study of urban or contemporary legends has become a thriving area of folklore research. Gail de Vos is one of its leading scholars, equally at home with oral transmission or the internet. She writes with a light, entertaining, and personal touch, but always from a deep well of knowledge and insight.' – Neil Philip, author of The Watkins Book of English Folktales
Available Editions
| EDITION | Audiobook, Unabridged |
| ISBN | 9781786789075 |
| PRICE | |
| DURATION | 13 Hours, 8 Minutes, 24 Seconds |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jay H, Reviewer
A fascinating and in-depth study of urban legends, mostly terrifying, with an intriguing and compelling explanation of the origins of each tale that undoubtedly affected each and every one of us at some point during our lives.
Informative and chilling, interesting and creepy this is a memorable book with insights that you NEED to know.
The audio version is exceptional, narrated beautifully by Kelly Burke.
Highly recommended with a well deserved five stars.
Anabel E, Reviewer
This was the mother of all rabbit holes!
Do you like urban legends?
Where you obsessed with the "How is made" show?
Discovery channel?
Do you enjoy podcasts, rabbit holes, and conspiracy theories?
Cryptids? Internet lore?
If you answered yes to any of these, this book/audiobook is just for you!
As someone who enjoys podcasts of the occult, random copy pastas, and love reading and hearing about folklore from different cultures, this was the most fun non-fiction book I've ever read/heard. With a plethora of information, facts, and lore it provided, it took me down a rabbit hole for weeks, where I had to stop, Google the facts given to me to learn more from it!
It's filled with urband legends, myths, and word of mouth stories that range from local lore like the wendingo, the headless horseman, big foot, and aliens, among other other occult lore to Q-Annon, the Kennedy assassination and other conspiracy theories. It was a fun as hell ride!
Karla J, Reviewer
This book is a perfect read for the spooky season! I want to express my gratitude to Watkins Publishing for granting me access to this audiobook. I find myself imagining the author as a mystical figure within the community, someone who shares and passes down stories and legends, captivating the kids with thrilling tales. One of the remarkable aspects of this book is how many of the stories feel familiar, yet they still manage to be quite scary. It’s an excellent choice for anyone who loves the supernatural and urban legends. I thoroughly enjoyed all the parts of the book and appreciated how it was constructed and organized. It has quickly become one of my favorite reads of the year. Additionally, the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the stories to life!
Anita W, Reviewer
What a brilliant pot pourri of the true, fantastic and fantasy, This is a dip into myths and legends from all over the world, predominantly America and Europe but a few from other continents too. There are few that I’m familiar with and the accounts are truly fascinating. Over centuries, humans tie themselves to belief systems that defy logic. These stories explore some of those beliefs and how they arose. Absolutely captivating. I didn’t want it to end and unusually, it’s a book I’ll listen to again, maybe with an audience in the room on a spooky evening as a few of the tales are quite dark. The narration throughout is superb and perfectly paced.
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