Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio - Hardcover

Lewis, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060182156 ISBN 13: 9780060182151

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1991

Synopsis

The story of the invention of radio focuses on scientist Lee de Forest, brilliant recluse Edwin Armstrong, and RCA mogul David Sarnoff, who turned a basement discovery into a worldwide communications revolution

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Reviews

YA-- This interesting, readable book intertwines the early history of American radio, including stations, programs, and stars, with the lives of the three geniuses who dominated the industry in its infancy--Lee DeForest and Edward Armstrong, engineering wizards who made significant technological contributions to the medium and then spent their lives and their fortunes fighting over patent rights to the new industry, and David Sarnoff, who watched the two men destroy each other and stepped in to dominate the industry as head of the Radio Corporation of America. Alternating between the technical wizardry, personality quirks, and feuds of these men, and the story of the growth of the industry itself and its influence over American life and leisure, the book is fast-paced, fun reading and doubles as a useful teaching tool for teachers of American history and culture, science, and mass communication. --Richard Lisker, Fairfax County Pub . Lib . , VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Lewis (English, Skidmore Coll.) tells the complex history of the development of radio in a clear and straightforward manner. He capably spans the transition from an emphasis on individual inventors to the formidable power and control of a united military/industrial establishment. The careers of inventors Lee de Forest and Edwin H. Armstrong, along with RCA chief David Sarnoff, comprise the book's framework. Lewis examines the technological advancements in the field of radio at the start of the 20th century, and the accompanying patent litigation which impacted the lives of the three men. Lewis's outstanding popular history never becomes unreadable, even in the midst of technical and legal jargon. Expect demand based on the concurrent airing of Ken Burns's PBS documentary based on the book. A recommended acquisition.
-David Dodd, Benicia P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060182156
• ISBN 13: 9780060182151
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 421