We like to think that we live in an age of reason and rationality, that uncertainty and the unknown have largely been eliminated by technology and science. But it seems that we have nagging doubts. Continually, we tell each other odd tales about ankle slashers and hairy-armed women in the shopping mall. We hear about phantom hitchhikers and headless bikies on the highways. Dreadful things are reportedly done to small pets at home. Tummies explode at work, garden gnomes take international holidays, and what certain celebrities do with gerbils should be nobody's business. These tales are usually called ' contemporary legends' or 'urban myths'. Given their often macabre subjects, most of us hope they are just myths, but whether we believe them or not, these stories are constantly spread around the world by people who apparently believe them to be true. In this revised edition of 'Urban Myths', author Graham Seal tracks down over one hundred contemporary Australian legends guaranteed to fascinate readers with their gruesomeness and their absurdity.
