Invention of the Communication Engine 'telephone'

Innovation is a buzzword prevalent in business and media—but the origin of breakthrough technology is not a recent phenomenon. As far back as the American Revolution, seminal innovations such as the invention of electricity were the catalyst to sweeping, large-scale changes. One of them being “electric speech.”

The Invention of the Communication Engine ‘Telephone’ is the fifth volume in the Invention Series. With an authoritative background in the sciences, author B. J. G. van der Kooij has plumbed the depths of the history of technology to create an insightful retelling of how humanity started to communicate with lightning speed over vast distances. It resulted in our modern Age of Communication Technology.

Van der Kooij’s scholarly book is both accessible and fascinating to the everyday reader as well as captivating to experts in the field of technology. While the topic continues to be globally relevant, the telephone’s early history is an important landmark invention in that chronicle.

The Invention of the Communication Engine ‘Telephone’ analyses what happened in the context of the laten eighteenth century. Through extensive and detailed observations, the author explores the repercussions of the telephone on several sectors, from economic to technical to social.

B. J. G. van der Kooij has earned advanced degrees in the fields of microelectronics and business management, and is a PhD candidate. With a focus on innovation, van der Kooij has worked in the manufacturing of electrical power systems, was a member of the Dutch Parliament, and acted as a spokesperson in the fields of economic, industrial, scientific, and aviation policy. He was also the first to introduce the personal computer to the Dutch Parliament. He then became a part-time professor of management and innovation at the Eindhoven University of Technology while running his company, Ashmore Software BV.

Van der Kooij's book series explores foundational inventions such as electromotive, information, computing, and communication, providing a multidisciplinary perspective on the development of the general purpose engines that drive modern society.

Married, he currently lives and works in the South of France.