OCTOBER 2, 2024
is the 65th Anniversary of the debut of the greatest television show of all time: the science fiction, horror, and fantasy anthology series
The Twilight Zone,
created by one of the greatest American television writers (and broadcast voices) of the 20th Century,
Rod Serling
.
October 2, 2024
is also the publication date of a brand-new book about
The Twilight Zone
that examines the legendary series in a brand-new way,
The Five Themes of
,
a collection of incisive essays on the most classic episodes of the show that are as entertaining as they are enlightening, written by
Twilight Zone
scholar and pop culture historian
Arlen Schumer
(writer/designer,
Visions from
), organized into five themes that best represent the depth and breadth of
its episodes crafted by Serling and many other great writers, directors, and actors of different sensibilities, but ultimately united under one-Serling's-vision.
With a Foreword by Serling's daughter, author Anne Serling,
The Twilight Zone's
handsome book design by author Schumer beautifully mirrors the black and white television aesthetic of
itself.
"Arlen Schumer's wonderful book,
is a passionate, insightful and exhaustive overview of Rod Serling's masterpiece and how it has influenced virtually every aspect of our world in the sixty-plus years since its debut. I can't think of a better guide to lead you through
than Arlen and his book!"
-MARC SCOTT ZICREE, author of
The
Companion
"Among the top echelon of
scholars and researchers, no one has plumbed the philosophical depths, intellectual substance, visual significance, and cultural impact of Rod Serling's landmark series with more insight, perception, and acumen than Arlen Schumer. In
a collection of essays that are every bit as engaging as they are enlightening, Schumer makes the case for why these are the essential episodes from '
The fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man
.'"
-MARK DAWIDZIAK, author of
Everything I Need to Know I Learned in
"Arlen Schumer's
presents, perhaps for the first time, the full magnitude of
influence on popular culture in passionate, entertaining prose that follows the endlessly expanding tendrils of Rod Serling's most famous creation. This is a tour de force study and unlike any
book to come before it."
-NICK PARISI, author of
Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination