The dictionary section made up of more than 500 crossreferenced entries provides brief vignettes of the more popular and also less wellknown soaps among them Back Stage Wife Our Gal Sunday Pepper Youngs Family and The Guiding Light. Other entries evoke those who brought these programs to life the actors announcers scriptwriters networks and even the sponsors. Nor are the basic themes the stock characters and the gimmick forgotten. The books introduction defines the soap opera examines the span of the radio serial reviews its origins and its demise and focuses on the character types that made up its denizens. The chronology outlines the period and the bibliography offers further reading. Together these elements make a comprehensive reference work that researchers will find invaluable long into the future.