Steven Jay Rubin

The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia by Steven Jay Rubin is a 2017 Chicago Review Press publication.

For the serious Twilight Zone Junkie!

I stumbled this book on Scribd. As a big fan of the original series, I decided to stop and browse through the book for a bit out of curiosity.
Only a little way in, the first word that popped into my head was ‘encyclopedic’- 😁😁😁 – so, at least you know the title is not misleading!!

The book goes through every single episode- by seasons, in order. For each episode, the author includes Rod Serling’s opening narration, the setup, and then a ‘behind the scenes’ segment which includes some fascinating trivia about that specific episode. From there, the cast- actors and the part they played- is listed, as is the crew, including writers, producers, directors, etc., in other words, everyone who worked on that episode all the way down to the set decorators.

Also included are biographies of contributors and actors, and black and white photos, as well notes, with links provided if you have the digital version of the book-which weighs in at 1264 pages!

One thing to keep in mind it that the presentation is designed to keep the reader interested and to propel the flow of the book- so, from that standpoint, the word ‘encyclopedia’ should not be taken too literally.

That said, it is still a good source of reference, and doubles as a book packed full of little- known information and trivia.

Personally, because there is so much information to digest, reading it cover to cover like any other book didn’t seem feasible- although it did find myself reading it for longer periods than I had intended to on occasion.

It has been a while since I watched some of the original episodes and to be honest, there were many I had no memory of ever having watched- though I probably did way back in the day. I had also forgotten how many people guest starred on the program who went on to become big stars, but there were just as many who already had an impressive resume before they worked on the show.

Although I really do think this book will appeal to the biggest fans of the show, I think even the casual fan, with the slightest knowledge of the show, will find this book of interest and it will certainly build interest- or in my case renew interest in the show- which was definitely ahead of its time!! This book might also make a nice companion piece if you decide to watch the tradition series.

Overall, this is an exhaustive archive, if you will, of one of the most inventive and groundbreaking shows of early television.… (plus d'informations)

Mouschi the cat narrates this story about the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam during World War II, and how he went to live with his human boy, Peter, in a cramped attic hiding place, together with seven other people. Describing the persecution of the people he describes as "Yellow Stars," at the hands of those he labels "Black Spiders," because of the emblem they wear, Mouschi offers a cat's perspective on human affairs. In the hiding place, he meets a loving young girl named Anne, and witnesses her writing in her diary...

Based upon the real cat, named Mouschi, that lived with Anne Frank in the Secret Annex where she and her family and friends hid, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, The Cat Who Lived With Anne Frank sets out to offer a gentle, cat's-eye-view introduction to a decidedly un-gentle human affair. The co-authors, David Lee Miller and Steven Jay Rubin, are both involved in the film industry, and make their children's book debut here. The illustrator, Elizabeth Baddeley, also worked on the recent I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark. I found the story here immensely poignant, and thought the artwork was beautiful. That said, part of what made the narrative so powerful for me, was my pre-existing knowledge of the events being depicted, and the contrast between what I knew as a reader, and how Mouschi perceived those same events. I couldn't help but wonder, as I read, whether a young child with no knowledge of World War II or the Holocaust, would find the narrative as meaningful. No doubt they would have questions - who were the Black Spiders, and why were they hurting people?, for instance - that adults could help answer. No doubt that was the authors' intention, in creating the book. I did appreciate that snippets of Anne Frank's actual diary were included in the main narrative, as hopefully this will spark interest in her writing, in young children.

All in all, this is not a perfect book, but it is a meaningful and powerful one. I could see it being used to introduce these topics to young children, especially if an adult were there as well, to discuss these matters with the child reader/listener.… (plus d'informations)

Although this work has not been updated for over 30 years it is an invaluable reference for the first two decades of James Bond films and, as the subtitle suggests it has a wealth of information on the behind the scenes history of each movie. The format is one chapter per movie and as a pre-teen it became my go-to reference book when I would read the corresponding chapter for the James Bond movie I had just watched on Britain’s ITV. I have no reservations recommending this book and believe it belongs on the shelves of all self-respecting Bond fans.… (plus d'informations)