Synopsis
Terrace, a seasoned research contributor for television and author of numerous reference books on the subject provides an encyclopedic "who's who" of fictional characters on American primetime, network, cable, and syndicated television. Arranged alphabetically by first name, the detailed listings contain information compiled from dialogue—about the character not the actor who played the part; storyline information is included only when it helps define the character. Each listing begins with the character's full name and the series, network, and dates of airing. Then, in several paragraphs, there's more information than most would think possible on date and place of the character's "birth," education, home address, marital status, jobs, family, interests, and personal characteristics. Each entry is cross referenced to other characters in the series. Appendixes include characters arranged by series and last names. An index of performers completes the volume. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Library Journal
Prolific author Terrace (Television Crime Fighters Factbook) has produced another small gem for TV addicts with this biographical guide to 1500 small-screen characters, live and animated, who appeared in a series from December 1947 through January 2005. The author makes no claim to comprehensiveness but instead seeks to cover the gamut, from the iconic (Gilligan) to the practically unknown, providing some 200,000 separate facts along the way, including "real" names (e.g., Lovey Howell n e Eunice Wentworth), favorite foods, addresses, and other trivia. The alphabetical arrangement by character's first name is coupled with "Last Name First" and "Characters in Series" appendixes, which greatly help in locating individuals. Bottom Line The only real problem with Terrace's work is the seemingly haphazard collection of characters. Why the lead from Branded but no one from The Rifleman? Why six characters from Spin City but only one from Northern Exposure? Why all the Baywatch girls but no mention of Barney Miller, Hawaiian Eye, or Ironsides? However, when cross-referenced with his other TV guides, Television Characters is a useful and highly enjoyable work suitable for all public and larger academic libraries.-Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., TX Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.