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The Everything Tall Tales, Legends & Other Outrageous Lies Book
by Nat Segaloff
Reviewed by Lawrence D. P. Miller
When author Nat Segaloff says "Everything," he means what he says.
Segaloff covers everything from Paul Bunyan to the Good Times
Virus, with almost everything in between. The book, part of an
"everything" themed series by Adams Media Corporation, divides the world
of myth and
legend (and urban legend) into a series of related chapters. The pages
are peppered with clever, cartoon style art, and feature "Reality Checks,"
wherein the author goes into detail about one aspect of a legend or
confidence scheme.
While each individual chapter presents summaries of a variety of items
within a specific theme, these themes themselves do not work as well
together as the author intended. The chapter describing famous confidence
scams and the people who made them infamous feels quite different from the
chapter describing urban legends. As a result of this almost bipolar
combination of topics, the "Reality Check" segments never really find a
rhythm; in theory each illustrates the evidence that debunks a myth or
hoax, but many are simply flavor text for the theme of the chapter,
neither providing new information nor introducing a new viewpoint on
information already in the text.
Most of the vignettes are at least amusing, if not actually interesting,
and the style and structure of the book certainly would appeal most to
younger readers. With very few exceptions, the material is pretty
unobjectionable from a parental standpoint, and the book would likely make
great bedtime (or bathroom) reading, as this would reduce the jarring
transitions between chapters. Segaloff also includes a number of
interviews conducted with experts on a variety of the topics, though they
serve more as window dressing than as informative exchanges.
I recommend The Everything Tall Tales, Legends and Outrageous Lies
Book
to anyone with a vague interest in either classic con games, Americana
style folklore, or urban legends. Anyone who has already heard of the
four or five most "popular" of each (perhaps you already know the "real"
story of Johnny Appleseed, as well as how the Pidgeon Drop works) will
find little new information here, and may wish to skip this one. Parents
may enjoy reading one segment at a time to their children, and the variety
of topics, while jarring and unfocused to adults, may be just enough to
keep kids interested.
© 2001 Lawrence D. P. Miller. All Rights
Reserved.
About the Author.
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