Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 224
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-4422-6103-7 • Hardback • May 2016 • $56.00 • (£43.00)
978-1-4422-6104-4 • eBook • May 2016 • $53.00 • (£41.00)
Vincent Terrace is a television historian for BPOLIN Productions, a film-TV production company. He has written more than thirty books, including Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. (2011) and Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings since 1949 (Scarecrow, 2013).
Television historian Terrace offers readers a fun and informative look into the world of classic TV. The basic facts of year and cast and a one-line plot description are included for 75 shows from the 1950s, and 100 shows from the 1960s. An incredibly detailed listing on each of the main characters follows (for example, Bewitched’s Samantha Stevens gets a full profile, including eye color, addresses, favorite eateries, and a list of her relatives), but the meat of each entry is the entertaining narrative Terrace provides. It’s obvious he knows (and loves) these shows inside and out, and readers will have a good time learning wacky facts about The Brady Bunch (Greg and Peter were the only kids to not wear braces on the show); Lost in Space (Penny Robinson had an IQ of 147); Father Knows Best (Jim Anderson’s specialty is annuities); and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (Maynard G. Krebs was turned down 46 times for his driver's license). [This volume] should have broad appeal; give [it] to diehard fans of the show as well as those with a general interest in the eras or in television trivia in general.
— Booklist
Sprinkled throughout [the] book are archival photos, airdates and so much nostalgic goodies that even the most diehard of TV fans will be thrilled and excited turning each and every page.
— Boyce McClain's Collectors' Corner