Curses, Broiled Again!: The Hottest Urban Legends Going

Syndicated columnist and University of Utah folklore professor Brunvand here presents a collection of columns about legends that haunt the public consciousness but have little or no basis in fact. The title piece concerns a young woman who frequents tanning salons so often that her insides get cooked. Other articles tell of poisonous snakes in amusement parks, airline pilots locked out of their flight cabins and AIDS Mary who intentionally spreads disease. We also read tales about automobiles, animals, accidents, sex, business and academia. Much of the material is ho-hum and all too familiar, despite Brunvand's suggestion that these legends persist and beget so many variations because ``You can't keep a good story down!'' (Oct.)