An Illustrated History of Urban Legends

by Adam Allsuch Boardman

From the campfire to the digital rumor mill, urban legends have flourished wherever we tell stories. Whether once true, sprouted from half remembered facts or entirely fictional, we have scrutinized these legends for centuries. This book will ferry you across a river of uncanny tales, from classic folklore to contemporary urban legend. So, check the closet, make sure the skies are clear and delve in if you are ready to imagine the strange.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Paranormal, History, Halloween, Mythology, Folklore

125 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2024

About the author

Adam Allsuch Boardman is an illustrator based in Leeds, who recently completed his BA Illustration degree at Leeds College of Art. He has worked on a variety of projects including merchandise for the Hyde Park Picture House, and producing imagery for several museum projects. Fuelled by an interest in the trivial, and a fastidious study of detail, Adam enjoys illustrating a variety of subjects.

Reviews

[Green Megs &Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the art style and organization of the book. I find it neat that it addresses more updated urban legends and internet nonsense. solid and well-rounded.

[Vonze · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information is well-organized, fun, and easy to approach with the graphic novel-style illustrations. However, compared to The Illustrated History of Ghosts or UFOs by the same author, this one doesn’t delve as deeply into its topics. It covers the usual myths like phantom hitchhikers, Bigfoot, and UFOs, but I found myself wishing for more obscure urban legends—those hidden gems from the early days of the internet.

That said, it’s an easy, breezy read and a great starting point for diving deeper into these subjects, whether through a quick Google search or asking your favorite chatbot for more info. Overall, The Illustrated History of UFOs remains my favorite—it taught me the most!

[Piotr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations are nice, but it’s hard to fully appreciate them unless you know the topic. And often the information given is extremely scarce. I had to google a lot to understand why the given picture was chosen. I don’t buy books to constantly interrupt reading to check the answer on the phone. I’m not fully content with how this album works in practice.

[Stephanie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! A great introduction to those stories you have heard your entire life and what makes them endure time.

[Kel Lee Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

great categorical overview by types of urban legends and era. covers world. fun lighthearted illustrations, starting point for research. good for older children (middle school)

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book about ghosts cryptids and other abnormalities that may or may not exist.

[Ashley Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations! The information was in very short segments, but I found that I liked it this way as I then did research a little further on my own.
I did find out where the rumor that some celebs are lizard people came from and where the term Foo Fighters originated from. I really enjoyed the book and glad I bought it as it’s a nice large book I can tie into my decor.

[AquaMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumor has it that, while filming the Endor scenes in The Empire Strikes Back, the actor who played Chewbacca was not allowed to stroll around in costume lest someone spy him and scream "Sasquatch!". Such a thing could create mass mayhem and planetwide panic. Thankfully it was the early 80s and Social Media was the stuff of Science Fiction...if it was even on the radar at all.

But again, this is just a rumor. And I've probably fueled said rumor just by mentioning it here, where it can be seen by anyone and everyone with a Goodreads account. This is how urban legends are born and how they grow.

Although this book was by no means unabridged and comprehensive, it was indeed fun. And I liked how it wasn't all about Cryptids and Boogymen, but touched on all sorts of weird and wonderful topics in the Urban Legend-Verse. Some of which I hadn't even heard of. Quite a feat there! The book even devoted a whole chapter to The Mythbusters, a group of urban legend-busting individuals who are near and dear to my Gen-X heart (R.I.P, Grant) and gave nods to Mulder and Scully of X-Files fame. So many Brownie Points there!

Overall, a fun read. Not super in-depth, as I said, but the book is too short for that. Think if it like the TikTok overview of Urban Legends rather than a multi-part documentary from the BBC. I think the intended audience will like it. I did.

p.s. Yes, blowing on a Nintendo cartridge DOES work.

p.p.s. It's not Led Zeppelin or even Ozzy whose music, when played backward, spreads diabolical messages. It's Chicago. If you get this reference WITHOUT Googling it, we can be friends

p.p.p.s. I'm totally going to dress as Gap Lady for Halloween (I'd forgotten about her). I'm certainly small enough to hide in small places from which to peek and be creepy.

[Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic with tidbits about urban legends. It did have me look up a few things.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this fascinating, attractive, and well-organized nonfiction, readers can learn about a wide array of urban legends from the premodernity to the metamodern era. It includes everything from myths and monsters, bizarre creatures, unexplained sightings, unusual and often very creepy stories, and so much more!

If you’re like me and get excited reading about these strange phenomenons and unbelievable stories that have withstood the test of time, then you must acquaint yourself with this book. It also includes myth busters, a variety of media such as TV shows and podcasts influenced by the many legends in this book, and it even lists the real-life people of urban legends.

The comic-book style, crisp, clean illustrations, with a touch of humour are exactly what you want in this book while you enjoy reading it. Both myself and my oldest reader agree that this book is all around fantastic!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly illustrated look at a wide variety of unusual occurrences and creatures that have been speculated on for generations. Arranged in text boxes surrounded by colorful drawings, Adam Boardman covers phenomenon and beings such as well-known Yeti, Bigfoot and Chupacabra as well as unusual stories from war, outer space and more. Subjects are arranged by timeframe (premodernity, Modernity, Midcentury, Postmodern and Metamodern eras. A glossary and further reading and viewing is provided in the backmatter along with an index.

Highly recommended for middle school and junior high school libraries with a high readership in the paranormal and unusual phenomena from the Dewey 133 & 001 sections! The author has similarly designed books on UFOs and Ghosts.

Thanks for the preview copy, Flying Eye Books!

[Kaleigh Langlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It took me a few days to get through it and I definitely had to take some breaks during it (it got pretty spooky at parts and reading by myself in the dark was a STRUGGLE lol) but pretty great work on this! I have a running information page of Crytptids and the likes that I take notes on when reading materials like this, and I got SO MUCH information from this! I also really liked how they used art to really bring the ideas home and give you further information! There are so many urban legends I heard growing up that were showcased in this, and I learned of many more cryptids! My favorite one I learned from this is a Squonk. It's just a little baby, and people are so mean to them apparently! They pribably cry so much because people think they're so ugly!! I just love the name of it too lol! Great artwork, great information, great book!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is a history! This covers a lot of topics in how people have perceived or characterized all sorts of mythological and legendary creatures throughout human history - mostly emphasizing modern or "urban" legends like Dog Man, New Jersey Devil, El Chupacabra, etc. I didn't realize it was going to be a sort of "Time Life Series" book, except an illustrated graphic novel. The illustrations are sort of... academic? Like, cute, nice design, very clean lines, but also, very... categorical? This is more of a textbook or almost encyclopedia than anything narrative. Not a detriment -- just letting people know.

I got the one on ghosts, too, and I'm going to say... pretty much the exact same thing about that one. Both are great.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playfully witty illustrations accompany quite a comprehensive accounting of urban legends, while also not going into graphic desriptions of the most horrifying, bloody, violent details of them (which I do not get to unknow from other sources designated for audiences way younger than tweens; once in a while my anxiety-prone brain appreciates being to relax into a potentially terrifying experience instead of being entirely cranked up for running away screeching). I made a kind of game of trying to spot all the Easter eggs and nods to pop cuture (hello, Scully, hello, unaddressed cameo of a beloved icon of the interrogation point series! - cheekily positioned next to a reference to the "Blue Hell legend", the juxtaposition of which made me laugh out loud in a public place).

[Richard Howlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of books is one of my favourite non-comic reads, and this latest one keeps up the excellent record.

The book takes us through different urban legends from around the world; some funny, some weird, and some downright creepy!

It never gets too bogged down in minute detail as to become dull, instead it's quick pace keeps you engaged and leaves you eager to find out more. Plus, Boardman's illustrations are wonderfully clean and descriptive.

This is the fourth book in the series, with the others covering filmmaking, ghosts and UFOs, so pick the topic that interests you the most, and give one a try!

[Alice Liu · Rating 2 out of 5]

The descriptions are bland and generic and fail to convey any depth to the stories, thus dissuading any further exploration. Some stories hardly qualify as urban legend, such as a woman who microwaved her pet (it's been done). Urban legends are supposed to be fun and funny. Yet, the book uses condescending name calling to dismiss some urban legends (hoaxers, fringe conspiracists, ignorant, etc). Rather than making a cogent argument, it relies on ad hominem logical fallacies. Some stories challenge official narratives and aren't necessarily urban legend, but may appear to be to those who never question anything.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, but I'm probably not the intended audience for this. I suppose it makes an OK basic introduction, and I especially appreciated the heavy leavening of skepticism, but I also feel as if it belongs in the YA section of the library rather than the adult section where I found it. It would have benefited from some photos, like the famous one of "Nessie," but that seemed not to be part of the format of the series. I also found several typos, which seemed like quite a few for such a text-light book.

[Cheryl Harrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting read! It's the perfect blend of skepticism and wonder, and I absolutely love all of the background information about where specific urban legends may have originated. It has creepy (a bridge guarded by a hatchet-wielding man in a bunny costume) and just plain fascinating (spontaneous human combustion), and the illustrations are gorgeous and honestly half the appeal of this gorgeous book.

I received an ARC.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome grouping of urban legends. There is a little bit of information and is a good place to start learning about them. The artwork is intriguing and whimsical. It is a good pairing with the urban legends. There are so many urban legends as well. There is sure to be one or two that are new to you.
Interesting info, good artwork, and great book.

[Jess Mann]

This book had a way more diverse and in depth catalogue of urban legends than I was expecting. There was also some nostalgia reading about modern urban legends like slenderman and creepypasta, and who could forget the 2016 killer clowns in the suburbs panic. Illustrations and graphic design in this series is also fab.

[Audra Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast read, got it done in an afternoon. Loved the art style and the simplicity in the explanations, although at some points more context was needed to understand and I ended up using Google a ton when reading to get more info on the stories. Thoroughly impressed by the wide range and variety or urban legends in this book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed learning all about the different urban legends that were covered in this book.

This is a good starter book for people who are interested in myths and legends from all around the world. The writing is really easy to digest and covers a multitude of topics.
It is the type of book that makes you want to research further many of the things that were covered in this book. Fantastic!

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very high level overview of many urban legends, mostly from US and UK, but featuring some from Japan, Korea, and so on. It has a lot of fun cartoony artwork to go with each blurb.

There are some minor mistakes in the text, where the blurb is paired with the wrong images, but generally, they did a good job.

[Marissa Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely want to pick up Boardman's other illustrated histories soon. This was great! There were a ton of legends I already knew about and some that were completely new to me. I also loved the art style of this book. Such a fun read.

[Margaret McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

liked the look of this book - graphics, colors, page layout all add to the appeal . This feels like a book readers will flip through and read in order of interest. In some cases there's not a ton of depth, but it might encourage kids to dig a little deeper on their own.

[C. Michael Mincks · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a fun, quick read, but I noticed a number of typos, misplaced graphics, and factual errors (e.g., the Bunny Man is a Virginia legend, not New Jersey). It was enough problems to make me doubt the overall accuracy of the information.

[Linda Edmonds Cerullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and fun heavily illustrated book about well known and some not so well known urban legends. Fun for younger people, an easy read and gives some information on how the legends began and how widespread they are.

[Christy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight up interesting!

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun illustrated and informational book about urban legends, including fairly current ones! Perfect for people who want crash courses on urban legends, their history and origins.

[Jessread.thepaige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun brief introduction to urban legends with great artwork