In a world in which TV sensations often yield hastily slapped-together, ghost-written books designed to cash in on short-term success, The Simpsons: A Complete Guide To Our Favorite Family is a rare and glorious thing. Loving, funny, colorful, fact-filled and obsessively thorough, it ideally complements the eight-year-old series. All the way through, it's packed with about a jillion square inches of details, summaries, hidden jokes, character biographies, and breakdowns of every Tracy Ullman Show sketch, Itchy & Scratchy cartoon, chalkboard gag, couch gag, piece of Krusty The Clown merchandise, guest voice, episode title—even every single impetus for Homer Simpson to exclaim "D'oh!" and "Mmm…" The first 178 episodes—every one through the end of last season—are individually outlined and examined, with tiny details brought to light. Ornately packaged, with vivid colors and slick paper stock, A Complete Guide's list price is about the same as the list price of the comparatively disposable Songs In The Key Of Springfield CD—and it will provide literally hours and hours of pleasure as not only toilet reading, but an indispensible reference. Though the book could stand to provide a bit of inside information, and a good deal of space is devoted to mere summary, the series really deserves this: a guide to The Simpsons that respects its viewers enough to give them more than they have any right to expect.