The Everything Tall Tales, Legends & Other Outrageous Lies Book by Nat Segaloff

Reviewed by Lawrence D. P. Miller

When author Nat Segaloff says "Everything," he means what he says. Segaloff covers everything from Paul Bunyan to the Good Times Virus, with almost everything in between. The book, part of an "everything" themed series by Adams Media Corporation, divides the world of myth and legend (and urban legend) into a series of related chapters. The pages are peppered with clever, cartoon style art, and feature "Reality Checks," wherein the author goes into detail about one aspect of a legend or confidence scheme.

While each individual chapter presents summaries of a variety of items within a specific theme, these themes themselves do not work as well together as the author intended. The chapter describing famous confidence scams and the people who made them infamous feels quite different from the chapter describing urban legends. As a result of this almost bipolar combination of topics, the "Reality Check" segments never really find a rhythm; in theory each illustrates the evidence that debunks a myth or hoax, but many are simply flavor text for the theme of the chapter, neither providing new information nor introducing a new viewpoint on information already in the text.

Most of the vignettes are at least amusing, if not actually interesting, and the style and structure of the book certainly would appeal most to younger readers. With very few exceptions, the material is pretty unobjectionable from a parental standpoint, and the book would likely make great bedtime (or bathroom) reading, as this would reduce the jarring transitions between chapters. Segaloff also includes a number of interviews conducted with experts on a variety of the topics, though they serve more as window dressing than as informative exchanges.

I recommend The Everything Tall Tales, Legends and Outrageous Lies Book to anyone with a vague interest in either classic con games, Americana style folklore, or urban legends. Anyone who has already heard of the four or five most "popular" of each (perhaps you already know the "real" story of Johnny Appleseed, as well as how the Pidgeon Drop works) will find little new information here, and may wish to skip this one. Parents may enjoy reading one segment at a time to their children, and the variety of topics, while jarring and unfocused to adults, may be just enough to keep kids interested.

The Everything Tall Tales, Legends & Other Outrageous Lies Book by Nat Segaloff Adams Media Corporation ISBN: 1-580625-14-2 Paperback, 304 pages List Price: $12.95

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