signed first edition Softcover
(c.2008) · Philadelphia
by Rosin, James
Philadelphia: The Autumn Road Company. Fine. (c.2008). First Edition. Softcover. [very nice, as-new book, with no discernible wear]. Trade PB (B&W photographs) SIGNED by the author on the title page. Episode guide to the noted crime series (inspired by the 1948 feature film), which ran for four seasons on ABC-TV between 1958 and 1963. (It began as a half-hour show, with 39 episodes airing during its first year, after which it was cancelled by the network; re-tooled as an hour-long series, it returned to the air after a year's hiatus, eventually logging an additional 99 episodes over three seasons.) The book is pretty standard-issue in terms of format: each episode is treated on a single page (often with a large bottom margin), with producer/writer/director/cast credits only, and a plot synopsis. The introductory section relies heavily on excerpts from interviews with cast members and creative personnel, mostly conducted by the author over the phone, and a section following the episode guide proper gives brief "biographies" of twenty individuals involved with the show (mostly just laundry lists of their film and TV credits). Alas, as is too often the case with such tomes, there is no name or title index, which significantly compromises the book's ready-reference utility. Signed by Author . (Inventory #: 22395)