The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret

Shulman, Seth

ISBN 10: 0393062066 / ISBN 13: 9780393062069

Published by W.W. Norton, New York, 2008

About this Item

8vo, 256 pp.

Seller Inventory # 053593

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret
• Publisher: W.W. Norton, New York
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393062066
• ISBN 13: 9780393062069
• Binding: hardcover
• Illustrator: Well-illustrated
• Edition: 1st.
• Condition: Fine copy in fine dust jacket
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science & Engineering

About this title

Synopsis

A gripping intrigue at the heart of one of the world’s most important inventions.

While researching Alexander Graham Bell at MIT’s Dibner Institute, Seth Shulman scrutinized Bell’s journals and within them he found the smoking gun, a hint of deeply buried historical intrigue. Delving further, Shulman unearthed the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition. Bell furtively―and illegally―copied part of Elisha Gray’s invention in the race to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. And afterward, as Bell’s device led to the world’s largest monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, he hid his invention’s illicit beginnings. In The Telephone Gambit, Shulman challenges the reputation of an icon of invention, rocks the foundation of a corporate behemoth, and offers a probing meditation on how little we know about our own history.

About the Author

Seth Shulman is an author, editor, and journalist specializing in issues in science, technology, and the environment. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.