Norton 1993. Half cloth with dust jacket, 367 pp.
Jan Harold Brunvand-''Mr. Urban Legend" [Smithsonian]-tracks the most
fabulous tales making today's cocktail-party circuit and shows why those
stories that sound too good to be true probably are too good to be
true. The eponymous episode-"The Baby Train"-sheds light on certain
predawn activities that have linked unusually high birth rates to the
whim of train schedule makers. Other stories offer a revealing peek
behind the story of "The Exploding Bra," expose the embarrassing source
of "The Hairdresser's Error," resurrect a "Failed Suicide" Buster Keaton
would have died for, and show why adults are better off not bringing
their comic book fantasies out of the closet. From "Superhero Hijinx" to
"The Shocking Videotape" to "The Accidental Cannibal," The Baby Train
uncovers the mysteries behind some of the bawdiest, goriest, funniest,
most pyrotechnic urban legends yet.