Garner, a 20-year broadcasting veteran, has penned numerous multimedia books (We Interrupt This Broadcast; And the Crowd Goes Wild; Echoes of Notre Dame Football; etc.). Here, he channel-surfs through decades of television productions, focusing on 36 landmark moments in news, sports and show business. Each event or show gets four to six pages, and the book is illustrated throughout with hundreds of photos and stills. Opening with Lucille Ball's 1952 comedic commercial for Vitameatavegamin, the fun continues in the entertainment section with Elvis's debut and famous final episodes of shows, from M*A*S*H
to Survivor. Among the television news coverage is Nixon's "Checkers" speech and resignation, the JFK/Nixon debates, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the O.J. Simpson case, the 1997 Baby Jessica rescue and, of course, September 11. In the sports arena, Garner covers the Bobby Riggs/Billie Jean King tennis match, Muhammad Ali with the 1996 Olympic torch and Tiger Woods shattering golf records. The accompanying DVD and two audio CDs contain slickly edited clips and interviews, plus informative narrations by Walter Cronkite (news), Bob Costas (sports) and Dick Van Dyke (entertainment). The package is neatly stitched together by a clever contents page that cross-references the book's page numbers with specific DVD and CD tracks. Few will be disappointed by this anecdote-laden compilation, although readers with good memories are certain to have their own key missing moments from television history. (Oct.)
Forecast:Andrews McMeel is trying its hand at a concept Sourcebooks has perfected with its "media fusion" titles (many of which Garner has written). AMP will promote this effort with print and radio ads and an author tour. They may (or may not) sell out the 500,000 first printing, but holiday sales should be strong, as this has a wide appeal and some big names (Van Dyke, Cronkite and Costas) on the cover.
