Here are great books all about television history and media – and all favorites of TVWW...


2013
Aug
30
TV BOOK REVIEW: ANNE SERLING’S ‘AS I KNEW HIM: MY DAD, ROD SERLING’ By David Bianculli
 
 
Imagine, if you will, watching the collected Twilight Zone episodes, many for the first time, looking for clues – in the stories as well as introductions – about your own father…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Aug
29
'BAD' READING: PHILOSOPHERS PONDER THE BIG QUESTIONS OF WALTER WHITE By Eric Gould
 
 
So, you think you've read all there is to read about the TV landmark? Have you considered the Nietzchean view of "Heisenberg"?...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Aug
28
TV BOOK REVIEW: ALAN SEPINWALL’S ‘THE REVOLUTION WAS TELEVISED’ By David Bianculli
 
 
It’s the end of August – a last chance to, among other things, dive into fun summer reads. Here at TVWW, that means recent books about TV, which we review starting today…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Dec
17
BOOKS FOR YOUR FRIENDS, WRITTEN BY MINE By David Bianculli
 
 
As one final push for holiday gift suggestions, this weekend I'm recommending a handful of new books (and one e-book) I like a lot. And all of these 2011 books, in addition to being excellent reads, have one other thing in common: They're all written by friends of mine. Descriptions of the books, and the friendships, follow...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Jan
1
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA SHATNERICA By Diane Werts
 
 
Really and truly, the last thing William Shatner needs is more attention...TV, movies, books, video games, commercials, self-serving web site -- the man is more all over the place than James T. Kirk. But if you're wondering what the T stands for -- and shouldn't we all know by now? -- you'll find it in The "Encyclopedia Shatnerica"...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2010
Nov
1
WATCHING TV: SIX DECADES OF AMERICAN TELEVISION (SECOND EDITION) By David Bianculli
 
 
The second edition of this book has been out for a few years, but it's still the best one-shop-stopping detailed overview of TV, season by season, ever published. It has season-by-season schedules, a running timeline, and annual summaries of TV events and trends that are written clearly, with more insight and scope than you usually find in such wide-ranging overviews...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2010
Nov
1
REALITY SHOW: INSIDE THE LAST GREAT TELEVISION NEWS WAR By David Bianculli
 
 
The subtitle to Washington Post media reporter and CNN Reliable Sources host Howard Kurtz's book is pessimistic if not prescient, but is guaranteed to turn out to be one or the other. What we're witnessing these days as viewers of the network evening newscasts - or, increasingly, as non-viewers - is indeed the biggest sea change in more than 20 years...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2010
Feb
1
TRUTH AND RUMORS: THE REALITY BEHIND TV'S MOST FAMOUS MYTHS By David Bianculli
 
 
The idea of veteran TV critic Bill Brioux's new book is to collect, in one book, al the persistent rumors surrounding television shows, stars and events, and separate the facts from the fictions...
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Books by TVWW

 
DANGEROUSLY FUNNY:
The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
by David Bianculli

CBS' controversial '60s comedy team wasn't canceled, they were fired. The untold story is revealed in this acclaimed account based on 15 years of research and interviews.
DICTIONARY of TELELITERACY:Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses and Events
by David Bianculli

The best, the worst, the weirdest. They're all here, 500 landmarks, in a lively alphabetical trip through TV history in all its importance and inanity.
TELELITERACY:
Taking Television Seriously
by David Bianculli

Television is much more than the boob tube. Bianculli's classic argument explains why TV is a crucial medium whose wide-ranging impact deserves serious attention and respect from everyone.
TRUTH AND RUMORS:The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths
by Bill Brioux

TV's most persistent rumors get thumbs up or thumbs down in this breezy and authoritative roundup, covering everything from Walter Cronkite to Joanie Loves Chachi.

 
CHRISTMAS on TELEVISION
by Diane Werts

From A Charlie Brown Christmas to The X-Files, revisit hundreds of seasonal favorites - sitcom and drama episodes, music specials, TV movies, cartoons, even commercials and - brace yourselves - The Star Wars Holiday Special.