Today's soap opera viewers may not realize that these daytime dramas were once just as popular on the radio. During the fabled "Golden Age of Radio" (ca. 1930^-1960) faithful fans turned on and tuned in to the continuing stories of unseen heroes and heroines, told in some 200 programs sponsored not only by soap companies but by the manufacturers of a variety of other products as well.Cox's criteria for selecting the 31 serials chronicled here include longevity, strength and size of audience, and uniqueness or influence on the program genre. Among those included are The Guiding Light, Stella Dallas, and Young Doctor Malone. Each entry provides the story line, director, producer, announcer, writer, sponsor, and casts. Dialogue excerpts are sometimes included, and air dates and ratings are always supplied. The publicity stills of program casts and individual performers scattered throughout the text add a nostalgic touch.