THE SCARY STORY READER
edited by Richard Young & Judy Dockrey Young & illustrated by Wendell E. Hall
The Youngs follow their Favorite Scary Stories of American Children (1990) with a collection of 42 urban legends and gruesome short-shorts—tales that include an assortment of escaped maniacs and terrorized teenagers; bloodily interrupted trysts; variants of the well-known ``Vanishing Hitchhiker''; a ``Terror Tour'' with stops for the Wendigo, ``The Thing in Lac De Smet,'' the ``Curse of Kilauea,'' and other regional chillers; anti-legends (``It flooooats...it flooooats''); and more stomach-wrenching episodes, all perfect for that campfire or darkened bedroom. But since the editors often choose story titles that give away punchlines, this is less satisfying for private reading than such books as Cohen's The Headless Roommate and Other Tales of Terror (1980); still, with its variety, introductory comments, source notes, and an afterword- -addressed to adults—on the benefits of scary stories, storytellers of all ages will JUMP! at it. Jan Harold Brunvand, dean of urban legendary, contributes a learned introduction. (Folklore. 10-13)