FROM THE PUBLISHER

From One of the Authors

With over 50 television shows contained in the guide, it's a monumental task to track and document the wealth of information and values associated with TV-related toys. We are constantly gathering information in an effort to keep our lists comprehensive. Our mission has been to obtain every item marketed for these TV shows in order to record and photograph them. For our second effort, we have documented over 1,700 additional collectibles, of which 1,000 have been added to the existing photos. Working with our publisher and editor has been a pleasure, but it took several conversations, backed by hundreds of fan letters, to convince them that a completely revised edition was warranted. Price guides are normally updated by simply changing values, but we know that TV memorabilia collectors want more than that. We lobbied to change the values, text, and photographs to keep the book fresh and to remain a valuable resource for collectors.

Once the publisher agreed to a completely new edition, they posed a challenge - we had to find a way to get 1,300 color photographs, text, and descriptions onto fewer than 300 pages. How could we get twice as much information onto just about the same number of pages? The answer was to revamp the entire book from start to finish. We had to reshoot hundreds of collectible photos, strategically placing related items together in one shot. Existing photos were rescanned to maximize page layouts, and the text was redesigned to take up less space. We managed to showcase over 2,300 collectibles by utilizing only 1,300 color photos. All of this was done without compromising the quality of the book. In fact, the new edition is streamlined, sleek, and focused.

In addition to the new photos, we buried ourselves in research in order to obtain the most accurate information about each show's airdate, number of episodes, ratings and cast member names. We have also expanded our introduction to include general descriptions of items contained in the guide, information about mail order and Internet collecting, and an entertaining foreword by Erin Murphy who played "Tabitha" on Bewitched. The biggest change in text, however, is reflected in the values listed for each item. They reflect the increased popularity and interest in this growing field. The following shows are included: Beverly Hillbillies Bewitched Bionic Woman Brady Bunch Bugaloos Charlie's Angels CHiPs Donny & Marie Eight is Enough Family Family Affair Fantasy Island Flipper The Flying Nun Gidget Gilligan's Island Good Times Green Acres H.R. Pufnstuf Happy Days Hardy Boys Mysteries I Dream of Jeannie Josie & the Pussycats Julia The Krofft Supershow Kung Fu Land of the Lost Laverne & Shirley Lidsville Life & Times of Grizzly Adams Little House on the Prairie The Love Boat Mod Squad Mork & Mindy Nancy Drew Mysteries Nanny & the Professor New Zoo Revue Partridge Family Patty Duke Show Sigmund & the Sea Monsters Six Million Dollar Man Starsky & Hutch That Girl Three's Company The Waltons Welcome Back Kotter Wonder Woman Bill Morgan (TVToys@aol.com), the co-author of this book. February 20, 1999.

FROM THE CRITICS

Entertainment Weekly

...[A] retro wishlist for anyone with an appreciation for kitschy TV trinkets.

Entertainment Weekly

...[A] retro wishlist for anyone with an appreciation for kitschy TV trinkets.