A.S. Mott
- About the Book URBAN LEGENDS: In this new collection, A.S. Mott explores the true stories behind many classic urban legends, showing how strange coincidences and popular misconceptions about fast food, celebrities and science and can become accepted wisdom in our increasingly paranoid society. URBAN LEGENDS is the latest missive from Ghost House Books, an imprint of Lone Pine Publishing devoted to the strange, the unusual, the bizarre, and the downright scary. For each of the 48 tall tales, storyteller and film buff A.S. Mott attempts to track the legend to its source and determine whether or not it is based on fact. Along the way, he comments on the variations of each legend, how the legend has migrated into popular culture, and what lessons each legend may contain. URBAN LEGENDS are today's modern myths. Each legend says something about us because they exploit our fears, express our prejudices, and are used not only to entertain but to teach lessons, advance political agendas, or even boost business. For example, many of the legends in this book demonstrate a fear of foreigners and have been used to discredit foreign-made products such as food and cars. Some of the fascinating and frightening legends included in this book:
URBAN LEGENDS will keep you and your friends spellbound for hours. Like all Ghost House Books, the stories make for entertaining parties or gatherings around the campfire. The book will help you learn the patterns of true or false legends, so you can easily spot a fake or test your friends' knowledge of modern folklore.
Copyright ©2004 by Ghost House Books. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to duplicate and distribute this file, as long as the excerpt is not altered and this copyright notice is intact. Thank you. |
- Excerpt
URBAN LEGENDS: by A.S. Mott INTRODUCTION How well do you know your urban legends? Thanks to the Internet, legends that used to take years to develop now grow faster than Jack's beanstalk. You've heard the one about the adulterous businessman who woke up in his hotel room minus one kidney, but how strong is your BS detector for other urban legends? The following quiz is based on the new book, URBAN LEGENDS: Strange Stories Behind Modern Myths, by film buff and storyteller, A.S. Mott. It's the latest missive of misery from Ghost House Books, an imprint of Lone Pine Publishing. Can you tell which legend is fact and which is fake? The answers follow the quiz -- but no peeking! Good Luck! The Urban Legends Quiz by A.S. Mott
Answers to The Quiz
Copyright ©2004 by Ghost House Books. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to duplicate and distribute this file, as long as the excerpt is not altered and this copyright notice is intact. Thank you. |
About the Author
As a child, A.S. MOTT didn't like to play outside. Born with the nocturnal instincts of a vampire, Mott preferred the dark confines of his parents' basement. There he fed not on the blood of others but on a steady diet of scary movies and the most frightening books he could find. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that this enemy of sunlight would choose to write about the supernatural. Mott cites among his current influences such writers as Martin Amis, Stephen King and Joss Whedon (creator of the TV cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Mott still can be found spending most of his time in the dark, either watching another cheesy horror movie or working on his latest book. If you like URBAN LEGENDS, be sure to see these other books by master storyteller A.S. Mott: Ghost Stories of America Volume II (ISBN 1-894877-31-4, Paperback, 248 pages, USA$10.95, CAN$14.95) This eagerly anticipated sequel brings together fascinating stories from over 200 years of haunted history in America. Covering every region and every era, ghost chronicler A.S. Mott explores the nation's most infamous spirits, paranormal phenomena and haunted places, making this collection essential reading for skeptics and believers alike.
Copyright ©2004 by Ghost House Books. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to duplicate and distribute this file, as long as the excerpt is not altered and this copyright notice is intact. Thank you.
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