ALL : Soap Opera History Books

[EricMontreal22]

I've only ever heard of Agnes doing a pamplet on STDs and one on (I think) Ovarian cancer... Nothing comes up when I search under GAnes Nixon's name online...

The Marcie Walsh book was The Killing Club. It was kinda ironic that Malone wrote it when the actual story that tied into the book on OLTL was penned largely by Dena Higley as he had been replaced by then (which is probably why they didn't actually paralel each other that well) The book was surprisingly a great read--though very fast--but then Malone has proven he can write murder mysteyr novels in his sleep--too bad his soap mysteries were never as good

[heatherwebber]

Guiding Light by Agnes Nixon, 1967, Popular Library.

I have no idea if she's just credited or actually wrote it. I barely remember it unlike the earlier volume about Rev. Ruthledge.

[EricMontreal22]

Ooh now I wanna see it

[EricMontreal22]

Ooh now I wanna see it

[Sylph]

So, Eric, since you collect these, you could update the list!

[EricMontreal22]

Well I just went on a used online book shopping frenzy and got about 5 new ones--when they arrive I'll be sure to let people know what I think

[Paul Raven]

Another interesting reference book is The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television by Wesley Hyatt .

It lists all daytime shows,which is interesting in itself,and has good summaries and castlists of the soaps

[EricMontreal22]

I found a used copy of Dan Wakefield's All her Children today while browsing a used bookstore waiting for the bus for 3 dollars and had to pick it up--I have a feeling my old copy is lost in boxes packed away at one of my parents house--and this one was in such good condition and hardcover with the dust jacket.

Re-reading it again I urge any soap fan--not just AMC fans--to check it out. it has to be one of the top 3 soap books (I guess I'd put Schemering's 1987 edition of his Encyclopedia here too) out there--period. Wakefield is such a good writer (I didn't realize that besides his novels he was a well awarded journalist) that the soap covers how a soap (in 1976) was written, produced, filmed, as well as placing it in a larger context of soap operas in general, how society's views of soaps were starting to change(there's an amusing chapter about Dan coming out of the closet as a soap fan thanks to AMC), the history of the genre, tons of great interviews with Agnes Nixon and others--as well as telling a lot about the stories of AMC at the time. Does anyone know of any similar other books on soaps?

[MarkH]

Okay, I'm asking a lot here, but you know what I would love from you? A top ten list. Now, my dream list would look like the one below...but that is a dream. I'd take this in any form:

Author, Year, Title, Publisher, (ISBN would be superb, but goes beyond the call of duty).

SON led me to Worlds Without End, and I have already read it several times. That book is amazing.

[EricMontreal22]

World's Without End is great--I think I mentioned it on here first--I just wish it was longer. Sure i'll try to write a top ten list though I'm pretty poor at such things.

[MarkH]

You'd be setting my reading list

[SteveFrame]

Just wanted to let you guys know that a member of my site SoapsWEB has some of the little novels about the soaps that were put out starting in the 1960's and on up into the 80's before they all were stopped or just quit.

Anyway she has been transcribing them and putting them on SoapsWEB.

Right now she has done 4 chapters of book 1 of As The World Turns and has just started on Days of Our Lives and Guiding Light.

I am trying to catch some on Ebay to buy and as she picks up more all of them will be available on the site as well. Just click the banner in my siggy and go to Soaps & Serials section.

The books are not faithful to every detail of stories but the overall gist of them are there.

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Also has anyone heard of the Book of Lists by Gerald Waggert. I just got a copy of it off Ebay for 5 bucks. Never even heard of it. The description doesn't give much info. Hopefully I will have it soon.

[SFK]

I remember being at an amusement park back in the late '80s/early '90s and seeing those novelized soap paperbacks at one of the gift shops. They had them for like every soap, Capitol, Another World, Days, et cetera.

[EricMontreal22]

I have three from the late 70s for AMC--they're basically romance novels but based closely on early stories. One's called Phil and Tara the other Erica and The Young Lovers (i think). I have two from OLTL from the mid 80s too but haven't read those yet

[SFK]

Yeah, when WoST was still around, a poster talked about having AW ones with Rachel, Alice, and Steve on the cover... they novelized their whirlwind romance(s).