We were among the last to get a TV when I was a child, and my mother limited my TV hours to three each week. Needless to say, at some point I 'caught up' on my viewing, and I have several favorite shows and so do a fair bit of reading along this theme.

I loved those books that used to be published about popular TV shows, and I miss them! I know, I know, it's all on line, but I like to curl up in my recliner with a book, an actual book, and read about the writers, the actors, the music, where the idea for the show came from, and so on. I like the synopsis of each episode, with a listing of the writers and guest stars.

The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Scott Zicree was my first such book. There were pictures, listings of all the cast members, who wrote it, the music, and a good synopsis of each episode. It would set the standard for those to follow.

There is a favorite line from an episode of NCIS where Ducky (Dr. Mallard, played by David McCullum) is walking back to the ME's truck. Kate (Sasha Alexander) asks Gibbs (Mark Harmon) "What did Ducky look like as a young man?" Gibbs looks at the retreating Ducky, turns to Kate and says "Illya Kuryakin." It was a great moment since David McCullum played that character in the show 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E' oh so many, many years ago. It also sent me on a search for a companion book to the show, which I actually found fairly recently. The Man From U.N.C.L.E: the Behind-the-Scenes Story of a Television Classic by Jon Heitland tells all about creating the show, casting the characters, the special effects, the music .... all the 'stuff' I love learning.

The Star Trek Compendium: the Complete Reference Book, by Allan Asherman also fits my requirements nicely. I updated at one point, to the special 20th anniversary edition, of course! (It also covers the first three movies). Gene Roddenberry spoke at WSU while I was there, and then, in 1992 a nice biography came out about him: The Man Who Created Star Trek: Gene Roddenberry, by James Van Hise.

The Outer Limits: the Official Companion by David J. Schow and Jeffery Frentzen also did not disappoint. Including the expected information, there are amusing anecdotes and step-by-step photos on how some of the unusual creatures were created, or how a special effect was done.

Many familiar actors got their start in these shows, but look carefully, they are very young!

I first saw Patrick McGoohan in the Disney show 'Scarecrow of Romney Marsh', or perhaps 'The Three Lives of Thomasina' ... it's been too long, I'm not sure which I saw first. Anyhow, I liked the actor enough to try 'The Prisoner' when it aired and then purchase The Official Prisoner Companion: the Only Guide to the Most Original and Innovative TV Series of All Time! by Matthew White & Jaffer Ali in the hopes it might answer some of my questions. It was an odd show, but I watched it every week.

During this time I also enjoyed 'The Wild, Wild,West', and 'The Avengers', but alas, have no books about them. This takes care of the 1960's, other tv show companion books will follow in future posts. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog