Supernaturalnon-Fiction Bibliography

Maddaford
SLIS 5410
Final Project
p. 1

SupernaturalNon-Fiction Bibliography

Introduction

Kripke, E. (2005). Supernatural. Burbank, CA: The CW.

Supernatural began its TV run on the WB which then became the CW. It tells the story of Dean and Sam Winchester; two brothers who travel to small towns in the United States hunting ghosts, demons and other monsters. Before the series starts, when Sam is six months old and Dean is four years old, their mother is killed by a yellow eyed demon. This prompts their father to become a hunter as well as teaching the boys to be hunters along the way. Sam originally does not like this lifestyle and goes to Stanford to become a lawyer instead. Dean asks for his help finding their dad and Sam agrees to help for the weekend. Sam returns to his apartment only to find his girlfriend dying the same way that his mother had. This drives Sam to hunt down the demon and find his father along the way.

Each season has its own central plot point. Season one is connected by the boys looking for their father, while season two features Sam’s powers and hunting the Yellow-Eyed Demon. Season three is the shortest and has Sam trying to get Dean out of a deal with a Crossroads demon that will end with Dean in Hell. Season four introduces angels to the show’s mythology with a battle to save the seals that keep Lucifer in Hell. So far, season five is about stopping the Apocalypse without losing their free will. There will be a season six, but no plot points have been released.

Supernatural’s Mythology

This show gets a lot of ideas from urban legends and old stories, but the writers usually add a twist to the story. Even creatures that have been used before like vampires, are just different enough to confuse people who do not watch the show.

The “Supernatural” Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls
Alexander Irvine
Although it is not a complete listing of monsters encountered in the show, it does include quite a few of them as well as a couple well-known ones not from the show. The point-of-view is a bit confusing, but fans will enjoy the Winchester tone of the entries. /
/ Supernatural: John Winchester’s Journal
Alexander Irvine
An interesting look at how Dean and Sam grew up and their father became the man fans meet in the series. The book is basically a diary. It does not match completely with what the series said was in the journal, but it is a fascinating read.
Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 1
Nicholas Knight
As the guide to the first season of the show, this book goes a bit deeper into the characters and original story concepts than successive guides. The full color concept shots are neat, but the color photos of Sam and Dean are an even better incentive to check this book out. /
/ Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 2
Nicholas Knight
This book has a lot of interesting trivia and explanations of the show’s creatures. It has interviews and discussions of each episode and even includes some very nice full color photos. There are several things that are proved incorrect in the third season, but overall it is a great resource.
Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 3
Nicholas Knight
The season three companion only has sixteen episodes to discuss because of the writers’ strike, but the pages are still full of fun and interesting comments from the cast and crew. There may be a couple extra color photos, too. The book also mentions the novel Bone Key, which is the best of the three novel tie ins for the third season. /
Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 4
Nicholas Knight
Although season four of Supernatural finished its original run in May of 2009, the companion to this season will not be released until July 27, 2010.
Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 5
Nicholas Knight
Season five is the currently running set of episodes. Until recently, fans thought this would be the last season, but season 6 has been announced. This guide is set to release September 21, 2010.

Essays and Discussions on Supernatural

Many fans have created online communities to share their ideas with each other. Sometimes, these gatherings are odd enough to inspire other authors to comment on the phenomenon. Either way, there are a number of fans who enjoy reading some one else’s views on the show.

In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural
Robert Jeschonek
This collection of essays was written and set for publication before the fourth season, but it is still an interesting read. Some of the essays are a bit inaccurate due to things revealed since the first episode of season four, but read in the context of the first three seasons the insights are deep and surprisingly accurate. Each essay covers a different topic from the show or about the fandom. /
Supernatural Wiki
This website is a huge resource containing information about episodes characters, actors, fan works and lore. The site tries to avoid spoiling future episodes, but a fan can find quotes, trivia and full summaries for any aired episode.
Supernatural.tv
Some of the content is slightly out-of-date, but the blog with discussions is completely current. This site has reviews for several publications on Supernatural as well as having edited In the Hunt.

Funny Guides to Hunting Supernatural Entities

Because the culture and methods of supernatural hunters are so well defined on the show, guides like these greatly amuse fans with their unique ideas for dealing with monsters.

How to Survive a Horror Movie: The Skills to Dodge the Kills
Seth Grahame-Smith
Written as a guide for people who find themselves trapped in a horror movie, this book provides responses to almost every horror cliché out there. The tone is irreverent and humorous while at the same time making perfect, logical sense. Since the early episodes of Supernatural play off some of these clichés, a fan will have a field day comparing the different reactions. /
/ The Monster Hunter’s Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Saving MankindFrom Vampires, Zombies, Hellhounds and Other Mythical Beasts
Ibrahim Amin
This book features two sections. The first is about monsters and how to kill them, while the second details various weapons and armor to use against supernatural creatures. Some of the comments in this book will greatly amuse fans. For instance, Amin asserts that truly skilled hunters avoid modern weapons, which is completely false in Supernatural.

American Urban Legends

Most urban legends are something the storyteller heard from someone else. This is one reason that their credibility is often so questionable. Eric Kripke and his team of writers probably looked at books like these when coming up with ideas especially for seasons one and two.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends
Edited by Jan Harold Brunvand
Brunvand separates out the creepier, scarier urban legends from the average urban myth in this collection of retellings. He divides them into categories like “Accidents” or “Chills up Your Spine.” The fact that they sound possible, if not plausible, is part of what makes this book fascinating and creepy. /
/ Encyclopedia of Urban Legends
Edited by Jan Harold Brunvand
This encyclopedia provides an alphabetical source of urban legends and myths as well as scholarly research done on them as a whole. Brunvand does not limit this collection to American or English language countries which increases the variety of legends. Each entry has a reference attached in addition to the general references at the end. The assortment of legends that connect to one another is clearly displayed in this book.
Urban Legends: 666 Absolutely True Stories
That Happened to a Friend...of a Friend of a Friend
Thomas J. Craughwell
To a Supernatural fan, the cover of this book brings to mind the Trickster, who used magazines with very similar headlines for his tricks on people. The book is divided into types of legends with a representative one as the title of the section. It even includes a section of weird laws. /

Supernatural Creatures

With the number of ghosts and other supernatural creatures that appear in the series, it can be hard to imagine just how many more could be out there. With one exception, the books in this section inform readers about all the other things that go bump in the night.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Paranormal
Nathan Robert Brown
This is a good all around guide for people just beginning their investigation into paranormal activity and beings. It includes a large section on spirits, sections on angels and demons, magic and cryptozoology. The format is easy to read or browse with an index for specific topics. /
/ The Field Guide to North American Monsters:
Everything You Need to Know about Encountering
Over 100 Terrifying Creatures in the Wild
W. Haden Blackman
The guide might take itself a bit too seriously and hint that encounters with monsters are more likely, but it includes traditional lore about creatures from Supernatural and many others. The creatures are divided by types including Supernatural, Cryptid and others. Within each section, the entries are alphabetical. Some of the cryptids will provide a chuckle because they are so unlikely even though the lore is detailed.
The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters
Rosemary Guiley
This book not only details the classic lore on supernatural creatures but even has entries about authors and their ideas about them. The photos are fairly recent including at least one from Van Helsing in 2004, but they are in black and white. This is a very thorough treatment of supernatural creatures in both classic and popular culture. /
/ A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels
And Other Subversive Spirits
Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack
It was hard to pick a category for this book, but the few demons are vastly outnumbered by the other entities. This book may be one of the older ones, but it is very detailed in terms of explaining the various lore attached to each spirit. It is even organized by region such a desert or water to help identify which entity is being described.
The Field Guide to North American Hauntings:
Everything You Need to Know about Encountering
Over 100 Ghosts, Phantoms and Spectral Entities
W. Haden Blackman
While it does not include several haunted places that are common knowledge in Texas, it does feature a number of places that would interest a Supernatural fan including Highway 666 and the Winchester Mystery House. The guide provides accounts of sightings as well as vital statistics like demeanor of the ghosts and likelihood of an encounter. /
/ The Skeptic’s Dictionary:A Collection of
Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions and Dangerous Delusions
Robert Todd Carroll
This book is included as an interesting alternative view to the books that inform readers about monsters. Supernatural fans would likely enjoy both the skeptical tone and the potential fodder for discussion on the wide range of topics. The areas of most interest are easily found in the Subject Index, which is divided into sections like Cryptozoology, Supernatural and Metaphysical, and Paranormal and the Occult, which can then be found alphabetically in the book.

Demons and Angels and the Apocalypse

There were not nearly as many books on demons and demonology as angels and angelology. The show has concrete ideas about demons and angels, but for now there is still room to look at more traditional views of angels, demons and the Apocalypse when discussing the lore on the show.

The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology
Rosemary Guiley
This book contains entries on all the demons who have been named on Supernatural as well as many more obscure ones. Many entries include suggestions for further reading and some have pictures. It also explains several religions and their demonology. /
/ The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Biblical Mysteries
Donald P. Ryan
Not only is this book a good place for a non-Judeo Christian to start looking at the Bible, but the tone of the book makes it easier to read. The guide talks about the writers of the Bible, the history associated with parts of it and even discusses the link between the Bible and supernatural beings.
The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha
Published by Oxford University Press, USA
This version of the Bible is probably best suited to a Supernatural fan because it includes several books that are not considered canonical to Judeo-Christians. As such, this version has more books than a standard Bible, which could provide a fan with more discussion material when comparing the show’s mythology to Judeo-Christian beliefs. /
/ The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Book of Revelation
Stan Campbell and James S. Bell
The tone of this book allows non-believers and believers alike to take a new look at the Book of Revelation. Supernatural fans can use this as a resource from which to guess about where the show might go next. It also explains in plain language several interpretations of this book of the Bible.
End of Days: Essays on the Apocalypse from Antiquity to Modernity
Karolyn Kinane and Michael A. Ryan
This book covers thoughts on the Apocalypse from its earliest Judeo-Christian roots to several popular views of the apocalypse today. The focus on Judeo-Christian ideas leaves out 2012 and other religions’ views, but does offer a wide variety of modern views from Left Behind to Good Omens. /
/ The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Last Days
Richard H. Perry
This Idiot’s Guide explains the Biblical Last Days in layman’s terms as well as with scripture. Since it touches on other final day ideologies and has a fairly non-religious tone, Supernatural fans are likely to appreciate the information and ideas the way in which they are presented.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Angels
Jay Stevenson
The slightly irreverent tone of this book actually helps the reader explore angels of all kinds. This book divides its explanations into an overview, Jewish, Christian and other faiths as well as angels in art. The guide is very useful to a non-religious fan trying to understand angels. /
/ The Encyclopedia of Angels
Rosemary Guiley
The encyclopedic nature of this book makes it easy to browse or search for a specific angel. The book does not just name angels and their duties; it also identifies the origins of pieces of angel lore as well as biblical and historical figures associated with angels such as Mary and John Milton. It also includes recommendations for further reading for each entry.
The Dictionary of Angels Including Fallen Angels
Gustav Davidson
This book may be a bit old and slightly harder to find, but the appendices alone are more than worth it. The dictionary includes the named angels as well as “Angel of __” which sometimes names an angel in lieu of a definition. There are three different angelic scripts described in the Appendix as well as a whole host of other things. /
/ A Catalogue of Angels:
The Heavenly, the Fallen and the Holy Ones among Us
Vinita Hampton Wright
At first slightly unimpressive, this book explains the origins of angel lore in each Abrahamic religion as well as including a small encyclopedia of angels. Some parts of the book may not be of interest, but the rest is fascinating.

Works Cited:

Amin, I. (2007). The monster hunter’s handbook: The ultimate guide to saving mankind from vampires, zombies, hellhounds and other mythical beasts. New York: Bloomsbury USA.

The bible: Authorized king james version with apocrypha. (1998). New York: Oxford University Press, USA.

Blackman, W. H. (1998). The field guide to north american hauntings: Everything you need to know about encountering over 100 ghosts, phantoms and spectral entities. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Blackman, W. H. (1998). The field guide to north american monsters: Everything you need to know about encountering over 100 terrifying creatures in the wild. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Brown, N. R. (2010). The complete idiot’s guide to the paranormal. New York: Alpha Books.

Brunvand, J. H. (ed.). (2002). The encyclopedia of urban legends. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

Brunvand, J. H. (ed.). (2004). Be afraid, be very afraid: The book of scary urban legends. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

Campbell, S., & Bell, J. S. (2002). The complete idiot’s guide to the book of revelation. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books.

Carroll, R. T. (2003). The skeptic’s dictionary: A collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions and dangerous delusions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Chandler, O. (2010). GoodReads (Book Cover Images). Santa Monica, CA:

Craughwell, T. J. (2005). Urban legends: 666 absolutely true stories that happened to a friend...of a friend of a friend. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.