Electronic Inventions and Discoveries : Electronics from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Present Day

In a remarkably short time, electronics has penetrated almost every aspect of modern life and the pace of development in the field shows no sign of slackening. One of the first books to cover electronic inventions in depth, Electronic Inventions and Discoveries: Electronics from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Present Day, Fourth Edition traces the development of electronics from its earliest beginnings to the present day. Spanning a period of two and a half centuries, the book presents a mini-encyclopedia full of valuable information on practically all inventions in electronics from 1745 to 1996.



This fourth edition has been brought up-to-date and made more attractive by a complete redesign while still maintaining the successful features of previous editions. The first nine chapters supply concise yet comprehensive histories of the main areas of the subject. Subsequent chapters provide a list of inventions by subject and succinct descriptions of each invention in date order with over 1,000 references. The book concludes with a list of acronyms and abbreviations, a list of books on inventions and inventors, and a comprehensive index.

During his seventy years in the field, the author has collected a variety of published data to form an up-to-date systematic review of the major developments in electronics and the pattern of advances in electronic techniques. The book forms an essential source of reference to practicing engineers wishing to broaden their knowledge. Teachers and students who require a sound background and understanding of electronics will also find the book invaluable. Written in an easily understood largely nontechnical language, this fascinating and authoritative history of electronic developments will be of great interest to electronic hobbyists and general science readers.

Praise for the previous editions:
Anyone with the slightest interest in the history of electronics will find that the latest book from G.W.A. Dummer is in the unputdownable class ... It is a remarkable compilation, extremely comprehensive, and Mr. Dummer is to be congratulated on producing a fascinating book.
-Electronics Weekly

... a fascinating book which will not only prove a useful reference volume for research bodies, universities and technical colleges, manufacturing organizations, and those concerned with patent litigation, but will be read from sheer interest by electronic engineers, students, and amateur enthusiasts.
-British Book News

... well worth compiling and should prove to be a valuable reference book for multitudes.
-Electronics & Power

This book can be recommended to scholars and those who want accurate information on who invented what.
-Microelectronics & Reliability

Whether the reader enters the book because of curiosity over dates and then turns back to page 1 out of interest and nostalgia, or whether he simply starts at the beginning and reads on, it can be guaranteed that he will find facts or chart presentations of interest to him on practically every page. Indeed, once started, it is difficult to put the book down.
-Microelectronics

... it is very readable, indeed compulsive, for once one dips into it, perhaps to check a date or reference, the eye is led on to the next fascinating entry, and so on.
-The Radio & Electronic Engineer

This book is much more than its title implies. It is not only a list of electronic inventions. It is also a condensed history of electronic discovery and advancement arranged in chronological order with book references and references to patents where these exist ... Mr. Dummer has put all those interested in electronics very much in his debt by compiling this unusual and interesting book.
-Chartered Institute of Patent Agents (CIPA) Journal

The thorough and coordinated organisation of this work enables information to be found from any starting point. Whether research commences with a name, a topic, a date, or an invention, one is quickly led to the relevant descriptions. One can learn a considerable amount from this book.
-The Post Office Electrical Engineers Journal

This book is probably the ultimate source book for those wishing to know who invented which electronic device and when and where that invention occurred ... This text should really be in the library of every science and technology department.
-Electronics Education