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On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio

skyvue

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This book is a must-have for Old-Time Radio fans.

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On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio by John Dunning was published in 1998. Here's the description from Amazon:


Now long out of print, John Dunning's Tune in Yesterday was the definitive one-volume reference on old-time radio broadcasting. Now, in On the Air, Dunning has completely rethought this classic work, reorganizing the material and doubling its coverage, to provide a richer and more informative account of radio's golden age.

Here are some 1,500 radio shows presented in alphabetical order. The great programs of the '30s, '40s, and '50s are all here--Amos 'n' Andy, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Lone Ranger, Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, and The March of Time, to name only a few. For each, Dunning provides a complete broadcast history, with the timeslot, the network, and the name of the show's advertisers. He also lists major cast members, announcers, producers, directors, writers, and sound effects people--even the show's theme song. There are also umbrella entries, such as "News Broadcasts," which features an engaging essay on radio news, with capsule biographies of major broadcasters, such as Lowell Thomas and Edward R. Murrow. Equally important, Dunning provides a fascinating account of each program, taking us behind the scenes to capture the feel of the performance, such as the ghastly sounds of Lights Out (a horror drama where heads rolled and bones crunched), and providing engrossing biographies of the main people involved in the show.

A wonderful read for everyone who loves old-time radio, On the Air is a must purchase for all radio hobbyists and anyone interested in 20th-century American history. It is an essential reference work for libraries and radio stations.


Amazon sells this book for $51, but I'm letting it go for $20 plus shipping (it's a very big book but surprisingly light, considering, but I'll work with the buyer to decide how best to ship it). It's been on a shelf since 1998 and is as close to like-new as one could hope for, except for one thing.

I was all ready to tout the book as "like new" until I noticed, looking at the top of it, that it appears there was a minor spill of water or some other liquid at some point. It shows up much more in the picture of the top of the book than inside the book.

I've also included a shot of the first page of the book. The liquid stain shows up in this photograph much more than it does when viewing the book directly. And I've also included a couple of more pictures, one three pages later in the book, where there's a bit of a wrinkle, still, but virtually no stain showing and one about 20 pages or so later in the book, which shows almost no wrinkle.

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In short, if this book is of interest to you, I think you'll find this minor damage unproblematic, but I did want to mention it. I've lowered the price accordingly.
 
Last edited:

DTurcan

New in Town
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Winnipeg-CA
Sorry to clog. can I ask that you unquote my email. Just to save myself the potential spam mail and what not. that'd be great! Thanks.
 

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