Customer Reviews

Another World 35th Anniversary: The 35th Anniversary Celebration

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Although not intended as an eulogy, this work serves admirably in that light. Buy it to remember the series whose cancellation--when the definitive history of daytime television is written--will be remembered as the death knell of the American soap opera.

Anyone who watched this soap will enjoy this book. Since this soap was taken from us on the 35th anniversary, this book has even more meaning. You will get to relive the highlights and story lines now missing from our daily lives. I get mine out about every 6 months - or whenever I need a Bay City fix. Looking through the book always manages to bring tears or laughter to me.

This is a must-have for any Another World fan given that the show's last episode aired about a month ago. It contains plot synopses of the show from its inception until 1998 (Beginning of Lumina Storyline). I hope another book is written to celebrate the entire history of AW - from 1964 to 1999. I can't find fault in this book. It is truly amazing. We'll miss Another World. Bay City and all of the Bay Cityites will remain in our hearts and minds forever.

For the first 10 years of watching AW, I was a loyal, but hardly passionate fan. The last 5 years, leading up to the cancellation, I developed a passionate attachment. This book has made dealing with the loss of this 15 year old friend so much easier. I treasure this book in so many ways. If you are or were a fan, this really is a must have. No doubt.

If you have been a fan of this serial within the past two decades, you will undoubtedly enjoy "Another World: The 35th Anniversary Celebration." However, Poll's treatment of the earlier years (what I call the Jacquie Courtney era, 1964-75) pales in comparison with her coverage of recent "AW" history. Artwork is sorely lacking in this part of the book, which is criminal. Recent "AW" junkies will never get a feeling for the distinct tone of the show before its 1975 expansion. We see no photos of Carol Roux, Audra Lindley, Joe Gallison, Jordan Charney and other early stars of the show. Did anyone consider buying "Daytime TV" archive photos for this section? Also missing is the fascinating behind-the-scenes history of the show (e.g. the Reinholt-Dwyer-Courtney firings), which, of course, shaped the future direction of the show. Finally, not to be a stickler, but the "comprehensive cast list" contains several omissions (e.g., DeAnn Mears as Cybil Harak, Ilene Kristen as Madeline Thompson, Carla Borelli as Reena Bellman Cook, Ben Hammer as Striker Bellman, etc.). Overall, however, Poll does a commendable job with capturing snapshots of a hugely panoramic subject.

This book is a must-have for any fan of the much-missed soap opera Another World- hundreds of photos, detailed year-by-year recaps, and interviews with the actors all make for a great tribute to a wonderful show. If there are any complaints, it's that some of the plot synopsis have been condensed a little too much, and more information about spin-offs Texas and Somerset would have been welcome, as well as more behind the scenes information. Still, this is an incredible book that should appeal to any fan!

In the midst of cancellation, this book by Julie Poll offers a way to remember television's best soap opera. Relive the lives, loves, tears, and joys of Bay City's finest! I really enjoyed the book from cover to cover. The new photos, the dialogues from the episodes, the behind the scenes information... They are an amazing read for any AW fan, and at this time, more poignant than ever. AW will forever remain close to my heart. The book is the definitive way to celebrate AW's 35th anniversary.

I have been watching ANOTHER WORLD for over 10 years. I started watching when Anne Heche played Vicky/Marley. When she left I watched sporatically but in the last 2 years I have become hooked again. When I heard that NBC had cancelled it I was devastated. AW is such a wonderful show with incredible actors and great storylines. The fact that NBC would cancel AW when there was another soap on NBC with lower ratings makes me furious. Don't the fans count? Don't ratings count? I will never ever watch NBC again and I hope all AW fans do the same. There are several programs on NBC that I used to watch but they may as well cancel them too because I can not look at the NBC logo without feeling angry and betrayed. Good-bye NBC. FANS OF ANOTHER WORLD PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP. HOPEFULLY ANOTHER NETWORK WILL DECIDE TO AIR ANOTHER WORLD. WRITE CBS OR ABC. LET'S SAVE AW. IT'S THE BEST SHOW ON TV AND IT DESERVES 35 MORE YEARS ON TELEVISION

So began every episode of this beloved daytime serial from 1964-1987, years in which the series was at its creative peak both in story content and acting. Although the soap was cancelled in 1999, "Another World's" last 20 years were not its best, although it had its moments of splendor and creativity. Critics regard the 1960's and the 1970's, years in which writers Agnes Nixon and Harding LeMay, made the show the most watched serial in North America.

This coffee table book is a great addition to anyone's soap opera library, especially if your a fan of "Another World". Other soap opera coffee table books came out during the '90's, but this book, complied by Julie Poll, is one of the best. Filled with wonderful anecdotes, information, and splendid black and white and color photographs from the show's 35 year history, this is a great encyclopedia on one of the best daytime serials to ever air on network television.

My only problem with the book is that it seems the author spent more time concentrating on the serial's last 20 years of broadcasting, where the show's first successful years is only touched on. Still, it's neat to read the partial script of an episode from 1969 when Rachel (played then by powerhouse Robin Strasser) confronts Alice and tells her at Alice's engagenment party that her fiance Steve fathered her (Rachel's) unborn child who would be called Jamie. I also enjoyed various quotes from Beverlee McKinsey, Paul Rauch, and Susan Sullivan, all of whom worked on the serial during its "golden era" during the 1970's.

The book opens with a forward from the longest running cast member of "Another World", Victoria Wyndham, who played Rachel from 1972 until the show's cancellation. In the opening Victoria discusses her first day on the set when Constance Ford, who played her mother Ada, was distant and patronizing, going so far as to say, after Vicky did her scene, that "Rachel wouldn't do that!" Vicky glanced to her director who looked away, then received a stare from Constance whose eye brow was raised to the hairline. Vicky then exclaimed..."well this Rachel would!".

A wonderful book that I have had in my collection for years, enthusiasts of daytime drama will enjoy this excellent piece of soap opera history. Happy reading!

This is now a great retrospective of a great show that is now defunct. It is one of the best types of this book (though it is not as well done as General Hospital's). It should be in every collector's bookshelf.