The dictionary section, made up of more than 500 cross-referenced
entries, provides brief vignettes of the more popular and also less
well-known "soaps," among them Back Stage Wife, Our Gal Sunday,
Pepper Young's 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 book's
introduction defines the soap opera, examines the span of the radio
serial, reviews its origins and its demise, and