Urban Legends: 666 Absolutely True Stories That Happened To A Friend...of A Friend Of A Friend

Combining Black Dog's three very successful hardcover collections of "urban legends" (Alligators in the Sewer, The Baby on the Car Roof, and The Cat in the Dryer) into one stupendous volume, Urban Legends is the ultimate collection of those outlandish tales people love to share. With themes that run the gamut from funny to sick, risque to informative, frightening to disgusting, these fantastic yarns are remarkable for their uncanny ability to travel by word of mouth. We've all heard the one about the alligators that roam New York City's sewers, or how "Mikey" of Life Cereal fame died from ingesting Pop Rocks and Coke, or about the flustered parents who left their baby on the car roof. But, did you hear the one about the scuba diver who was found in the middle of a forest after a fire? These and other favorites are here in all of their creepy glory--guaranteed to amuse, enlighten, intrigue, and most of all, stick in the mind forever.

Thomas J. Craughwell is an author and problem solver. He traced the evolution of Manhattan urban legends (Alligators in the Sewer); sorted out fact from fiction in old wives tales (Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?); identified the patron saints of bloggers, vegetarians and hangovers (This Saint Will Change Your Life); and resurrected a long-forgotten story from 1876, when a gang of hapless Irish immigrant counterfeiters tried to kidnap the body of Abraham Lincoln--and almost got away with it (Stealing Lincoln’s Body). Tom lives in Bethel, Connecticut.