The Cat in the Dryer: And 222 Other Urban Legends [Hardcover]

Thomas J. Craughwell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Social Indicators Research Series | Publication Date: August 5, 2002

What's an urban legend? It's a story that gets passed around so frequently that no one really knows how it began. All we know is that the tale is so amusing, dark, coincidental or ironic that, whether it's true or not, we are dying to believe it--and pass it on.

In the successful tradition of Alligators in the Sewer and The Baby on the Car Roof, this all-new collection of over 200 urban legends offers the latest and greatest tales so weird and funny that they just have to be true. Includin the firemen who rescued a stranded cat and then ran over it; the baby born in flight who was given free air travel for life; the drug-test cheater who was caught when his urine sample revealed him to be pregnant.

Organized by genre, each story in The Cat in the Dryer runs one or two pages, and features possible variations and embellishments. Subjects range from famous people to disturbing pranks, from holiday nightmares to creepy stories, and from military misadventures to pet disasters.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-An entertaining and occasionally informative collection of urban legends, celebrity rumors, scams, pranks, and hoaxes. Craughwell begins his introduction with a good working definition of the term "urban legend"-a demonstrably untrue story that uses humor or horror to teach a lesson about the consequences of disregarding societal taboos. He then notes that for most people the only real criterion is that the story is plausible, although patently false. The first chapter is devoted entirely to stories and legends that circulated following September 11. The author briefly discusses the psychology behind the origin of these tales and mentions that many of them were covered in a New York Times article, although no citation is provided. In fact, the lack of documentation throughout is the book's weakness. Since the volume contains items that sometimes show up as reference questions, such as the statue of a military hero on a horse indicating the manner of the hero's death by the number of hooves off the ground, some sort of explanation or source material is mandatory. However, as entertainment, the book succeeds. Teens will enjoy the variety of selections and may be surprised to find that they have been taken in by some of these absolutely true stories that happened to a friend of a friend of a friend.
Jody Sharp, Harford County Public Library, MD
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Thomas J. Craughwell has written every edition of the Book Lover's Page-A-Day Calendar since it first appeared in 1995. He is the author of Every Eye Beholds You: A World Anthology of Prayer, which was a Main Selection of Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club and a selection of History Book Club. He resides in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (August 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579122582
• ISBN-13: 978-1579122584
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,413,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After four years in a doctoral program studying medieval English literature, three years as a copywriter for Book-of-the-Month Club, and one year as a marketing director for a pricey, upscale travel company, I went into business for myself as a full-time writer in 1992. (Yeah. I can't believe the business has stayed afloat this long either).
As a writer, I really don't specialize; my resume is all over the map. I developed the concept and wrote the script for History Book Club's first television commercial. I've written direct mail for Time-Life Books, TV Guide, The Reader's Digest, Hilton Hotels, and the American Banking Association. I wrote the original Barnes & Noble web site; a series of online e-learning business, finance, and banking courses for the New York Institute of Finance; and a special "History of the Paperback" web site to celebrate Quality Paperback Book Club's 25th anniversary. My 50 States Fandex cards (Workman Publishing, 1998) have sold 700,000 copies (!). And I've published articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines--from The Wall Street Journal to Emmy magazine to the national Catholic news weekly Our Sunday Visitor.
My first book, Every Eye Beholds You: A World Treasury of Prayer (Harcourt Brace, 1999), was a Main Selection of both Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club. My book on patron saints, Saints for Every Occasion (Stampley Enterprises, 2001) has been translated into Spanish, Italian, and Polish.
I'm not a professional talking head, but I've been invited to discuss saints, the canonization process, and Catholic history on CNN, EWTN, Ave Maria Radio; and urban legends on the BBC, The Discovery Channel, Inside Edition, and approximately 75 radio stations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 223 Urban Legends, April 28, 2004

By 

"why_try2004" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat in the Dryer: And 222 Other Urban Legends (Hardcover)

This is my first Urban Legend book and now I'm hooked on them. The first one I read was 500 Best Urban Legends and it was great. This book however was much better. From Skinned Tom to the Haunted Shower this was a great book. Most of this book was political but still a good book. If you like Urban Legends this is a must have.

5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding, September 24, 2002

By 

"kevinjdonovan" (TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat in the Dryer: And 222 Other Urban Legends (Hardcover)

Thomas Craughwell is the brilliant maestro conducting his symphony of tales of a friend's friend. Mr Craughwell has outdone himself with another installment in the increasingly popular series of books on urban legends. He has the passion and heart that many authors of today lack. He plungs into the deep caverns of the darkness of the human psycke with the tales "Back From The Dead" and "Royal African Millionaires Neep Your Help!" His other works provided meaningful and thought comments on socio-economic problems as well as his own quaint philosophies. "Saints For Every Occasion," the "50 States Fandex," and the "Book Lover's Page-a-Day Calender" all give the reader an incredible insight into the mind that is Thomas J Craughwell.