Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, thought-provoking... and a lot of fun!
Review: Every state, I suppose, has its weirdness quotient, but NJ seems to revel in it like no other. And "Weird NJ" is an excellent primer for learning about what this most misunderstood of states has to offer in terms of the offbeat. A lot of this book's focus is on modern folklore and urban myth, ranging from the famed "Jersey Devil" to UFO and ghost sightings. The book also focuses on strange places... many of them less "weird" than simply interesting (and often poignant). Much of the content comes from personal accounts written by fans of the magazine... which means that much of what you read in the book is in the realm of conjecture and tall tales. But it's all entertaining nonetheless, and it provides insight to what confuses, amuses and frightens us. One caveat is that most of the oddities documented in "Weird NJ" are from north Jersey. Those looking for items relating to south Jersey and the shore will have a harder time. Hopefully, every state in the country has or will have a team as dedicated as the Weird NJ crew to document its oddities and legends.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, thought-provoking... and a lot of fun!
Review: Every state, I suppose, has its weirdness quotient, but NJ seems to revel in it like no other. And "Weird NJ" is an excellent primer for learning about what this most misunderstood of states has to offer in terms of the offbeat. A lot of this book's focus is on modern folklore and urban myth, ranging from the famed "Jersey Devil" to UFO and ghost sightings. The book also focuses on strange places... many of them less "weird" than simply interesting (and often poignant). Much of the content comes from personal accounts written by fans of the magazine... which means that much of what you read in the book is in the realm of conjecture and tall tales. But it's all entertaining nonetheless, and it provides insight to what confuses, amuses and frightens us. Hopefully, every state in the country has or will have a team as dedicated as the Weird NJ crew to document its oddities and legends.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, thought-provoking... and a lot of fun!
Review: Every state, I suppose, has its weirdness quotient, but NJ seems to revel in it like no other. And "Weird NJ" is an excellent primer for learning about what this most misunderstood of states has to offer in terms of the offbeat. A lot of this book's focus is on modern folklore and urban myth, ranging from the famed "Jersey Devil" to UFO and ghost sightings. The book also focuses on strange places... many of them less "weird" than simply interesting (and often poignant). Much of the content comes from personal accounts written by fans of the magazine... which means that much of what you read in the book is in the realm of conjecture and tall tales. But it's all entertaining nonetheless, and it provides insight to what confuses, amuses and frightens us. One caveat is that most of the oddities documented in "Weird NJ" are from north Jersey. Those looking for items relating to south Jersey and the shore will have a harder time. Hopefully, every state in the country has or will have a team as dedicated as the Weird NJ crew to document its oddities and legends.
Rating:
Summary: excellent book whether you've read the magazine or not
Review: I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, so when I tell you I'm into Weird NJ, I mean I'M INTO Weird NJ. I own every issue available, plus all the specials, have had numerous letters and articles published in recent issues, and have a database of nearly 500 places to visit that have been in the magazine. I even run a website about my adventures looking for the things that have been in the magazine. www.lostinjersey.com. I recently asked the Marks at their last book signing if I was their most obssesive fan and they said I ranked pretty high. So I must say I wasn't expecting anything new in the book, I expected it to simply be a collection of their best work. I was half right. It was indeed a collection of the best, most intriguing stories, but to say there was nothing new would be wrong. The book really lays out WHY these stories have meaning, and more importantly why they don't investigate ever story presented. Mark Scuerman said at a book signing that they believe that they (and thus the magazine) function in much the same role as the boy scout campfire might have 20 years ago. The magazine is a place where stories can be passed down to others so that they may be told again and again and live on. Every town has an eccentric local like waving willie, or a house that is abandoned because something strange or unusual happened years ago. We've all heard urban legends, but these are different because these are unique to this area. "There is only one Devil's Tower in the US." Mark S quipped. Are the stories of albino attacks in Clifton in the 60's true? Does it really matter? What matters is the stories themselves and how those stories had a life of their own in the hearts and minds of Cliftonites (and those in nearby towns) Some of the stories in Weird NJ are completely preposterous and yet it doesn't matter. Many times the Marks will investigate if something seems worthy, other times readers are left to decide on their own what to believe. Is the NPDC (aka Skillman) a creepy former mental hospital? Yes. DId one reader find the morgue? His story seems sketchy but I belive from my own experience he did because I almost found it myself. Did another reader get ambushed by someone with an ax while visitng Skillman? I highly doubt it, yet all these tales add to the fabric of our lives. "we all need tales like these" said Mark S. And Weird NJ is the magazine that keeps those stories alive. It was inevitable that there would be a WNJ book, the qurestion was when and would it be a quality product? Well the 2nd question is rather stupid because the Marks dont do anything half-@$$ed so it really was just if and when. The book really is coffee table worthy. A solid beautiful looking book, it's filled with all their most memorable stories and tales, often with new letters or reworked explanations, and all with beautiful graphics and photos. I am proud to have this in my collection (and of course I HAD to have it because of my OCD!) If you've read the magazine it's like a trip down memory lane only there the trails are more vibrant and colorful then you remember... And if you haven't read the magazine ever, you're in for a real treat. It may just inspire you to go looking for the devil's tower, and to try driving around it backwrds 3x at midnight, jsut to see what happens. Or maybe you'll want to go for a hike in West MIlford, looking for the downed jet or the stone living room. It's addictive I tell ya (and that's not the OCD talking...)
Rating: 
Summary: It's ok.
Review: I'm a frequent visitor to the Weird NJ site, and I love their descriptions of the paranormal locations they have. The site doesn't have -that- much information about everything, but what it has is great. When I read about The Gates of Hell, I was hooked and wanted to learn more. So recently, I saw the book at a store and bought it, hoping that I'd learn everything New Jersey has to offer. Well, it was a mistake, and it wasn't. The book is well put together. I'll give it that. You can really tell they took their time making sure it had a good layout that was easy to follow. The photos and drawings all give it a nice, depressing tone in some cases, and there are even actual newspaper clippings which some of the stories came from. Heck, I'd tell you to get the book if only for the cool pictures. Even the cover has a nice design/print. This is a very pretty book. But, looks don't matter than much when it comes to books obviously. Immediately, I flipped to the index to look for The Gates of Hell. When I made my way to its page, I was disappointed. It was just re-hash of what they said on the site more or less. They cover it in 4 pages. But huge pictures take up most of the space. I'm looking at it right now as I type this, and really, there's a total of 1 3/4 of a page, if that, of text. You get a synopsis of what it is, then 3 whole short stories from people that've been there. They don't even say anything that interesting. I learned more from someone I met in a NJ Yahoo Group than I did from this book. And that guy had pictures from when he went there. If you want to see them, click on my name here and go to the link to my Yahoo profile, then follow the links on the left toolbar to view my photo gallery. The book does cover a lot of other things that the site doesn't though. But since I haven't read any issues of the Weird NJ magazine, I don't know if they're just re-wording things from that in here. It goes very in-depth about historical and scientific events, which is a plus. I was actually impressed with the research they did for some of the stories. The cover reads "Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets". I guess it's just that- a travel guide. Something to take along if you live there or are planning a trip, and have it on hand to find the locations of the abnormalities. Oh and I have to warn you about something- the guy who helped write this, and I'm assuming did most of the introductionss to each legend really needs to think of some new words. I lost count of how many times he used "the stuff legends are made of". Every time I got to that phrase, I just closed the book and put it down for a while. It got annoying to read that every few pages. C'mon, "the STUFF legends are made of"? Give me a break. I'd be happy to re-write most of the book for free. At least I wouldn't use things like "there is a dark tower in a dark shadow in the dark side of New Jersey. Duh huh poridge". Most of the time, you're better off just reading the stories from other people about their experiences with x subject. All in all, this is an average book. It's nothing you couldn't get from the site or get from other people, but it's fun to have around for whenever you want to look something up real fast. And the price is pretty fair too. Just know what you're getting first.
Rating:
Summary: A blown up (and prettier) version of the magazine
Review: I've been reading Weird NJ for quite awhile now and was looking forward to this book. For those who are wondering, WEIRD NJ is a magazine and website that spends its time and effort investigating (well, investigating is probably to strong a word) the strange happenings, people, and places of the Garden State. Poorly written letters, second hand tales of haunted sites and all manners of the bizarre are contained in the pages of each issue. I was hoping the book would be a bit more professional in its presentation and research. One out of two isn't bad.
The book looks great.Well-illustrated with a variety of excellent photos and artwork, the book immediately catches your eye. Breaking the book into sections is a nice touch, from Local Legends to Bizarre Beasts (Go, Jersey Devil)the book covers a lot of territory.
Of course how the territory is covered is the real problem. Stories that begin "My friends and I went to," "I know someone who knows," "I grew up in ," all must be taken with far more than a grain of salt. So much is "reported" here without any documentation that the stories that are based in reality get mixed with the tall tales to create a less than satisfying mixture. The charm of the cheesy magazine cannot take the glaring light of scepticism when blow up into book format, but if you can let that go and just enjoy the sheer wackiness of it all, you'll have a good time.
Rating:
Summary: Love It
Review: If you like reading the Weird N.J. magazines you'll love this over 200 page book. It covers ufo sightings and local legends like the Jersey devil. There's also sections devoted to unique properties in the state, cemeteries, local heros and villains, spooky abandoned places, and more. There's lots of photos and drawings in here too. I was a little dissapointed that south Jersey isn't covered much in here.
Rating: 
Summary: Weird and Wonderful!
Review: New Jersey folkie John Gorka sings of his home state as being "like Ohio, but only more so". Author/editors Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran disagree. It's like Transylvania.
Or Roswell. Or an X-Files episode. Sceurman and Moran, co-creators of Weird New Jersey
Magazine want the world to know that the Garden State is more
than strip malls and toxic waste dumps. For the past ten years, the two Marks have documented all manner of unusual characters,
events and legends unique to their state. This book is based
upon the magazine. In it, you'll find accounts of UFOs, true crimes, bizarre architecture, gravity roads (where the laws of physics are
mysteriously suspended), hauntings, local eccentrics, and, of course, the Jersey Devil. While all the stories are interesting, many of the contributors' first-person tales of encounters with the unexplained strectch credibility to the breaking point. But it is not the authors' intention to proveor disprove anything-only to give the reader a sense of what gives their much-maligned state its character (where else, after all, could you find a Double Trouble State Park)? Though Weird New Jersey bills itself as a travel guide,
it reads more like a folklore collection. As in all mythology,
the same site, event or phenomena can generate multiple explanations. The authors leave judging the merits of each explanation up to the reader. My only quibble is that the Southern portion of the state
(just as weird as the rest), is largely ignored. Weird New Jersey will give you all the material you will
ever need for stories to tell around your next campfire. It makes a perfect Halloween gift.
Rating:
Summary: Weird N.J.
Review: This book is practically a must for anyone living in NJ. This book and the Weird N.J. magazine is all about our NJ's folklore, myths, and legends. It's nostalgic for older NJ citizens to read about Gravity Road and all the things they've grown up wondering and thinking about. It's like a history lesson for younger people.
Although some people may think some of the stories are far fetched, most of them actually are true. I've been to a few of these places, and have two or three friends who have turned up at Midgetville and exct actually by accident. But the real thing is to not wonder if it's exaggerated or real, it's to just accept this as a part of living in NJ.
Fun and informative, Weird NJ is a good read for anyone in NJ who is interested in folklore, myths, or the paranormal. Buy it right now!
Rating:
Summary: Even if you're not from NJ...
Review: this book is worth a look. While I can't add anything to what has already been said about the interesting contents, I'd like to comment on how beautifully designed the book is. I was really impressed with the look of it. And I wish somebody would do a book like this about my neck of the woods!
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