Jan Harold Brunvand lives in Salt Lake City, where he is professor emeritus at the University of Utah. He is the author of numerous books, including The Vanishing Hitchhiker; The Choking Doberman; The Baby Train; Too Good to Be True; and Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid.

"It is the charm of Mr. Brunvand's scholarship and presentation that he delivers the sad news of falsehood of these stories without being professorially reproachful toward those who have relayed him." -- New York Times Book Review "Together, these new wives' tales merge as an American picaresque, a compilation of myths that keep the telephone wires humming and cocktail parties doubly fueled." -- Time