Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Pandgt;By 1897 Guglielmo Marconi had transformed James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetic waves into a workable wireless telegraphy system, and by 1907 Lee de Forest had invented the audion, a feedback amplifier and oscillator that opened the way to practical radio transmission. Fifteen years after Marconi's invention, wireless had become an essential means of communication, as well as a hobby for many.This book offers a new perspective on the early days of wireless communication. Drawing on previously untapped archival evidence and recent work in the history and sociology of science and technology, it examines the substance and context of both experimental and theoretical aspects of engineering and scientific practices in the first years of this technology. It offers new insights into the relationship between Marconi and his scientific advisor, the physicist John Ambrose Fleming (inventor of the vacuum tube). It includes the full story of the infamous 1903 incident in which Marconi's opponent Nevil Maskelyne interfered with Fleming's public demonstration of Marconi's syntonic (tuning) system at the Royal Institution by sending derogatory messages from his own transmitter. The analysis of the Maskelyne affair highlights the struggle between Marconi and his opponents, the efficacy of early syntonic devices, Fleming's role as a public witness to Marconi's private experiments, and the nature of Marconi's "shows." It also provides a rare case study of how the credibility of an engineer can be created, consumed, and suddenly destroyed. The book concludes with a discussion of de Forest's audion and the shift from wireless telegraphy to radio.andlt;/Pandgt;
Review
"This is a carefully drawn and well-written study that sheds new light on an old but central story." Communications Booknotes Quarterly The MIT Press
Review
Historians of science and technology will regard this book as the definitive work on the scientific underpinnings and technological development of wireless in its first fifteen years. The MIT Press
Review
With clarity and precision, Sungook Hong shows how theoretical science and practical engineering came together in the 1890s to produce wireless telegraphy, a technology that now pervades the modern world. It is an important and fascinating story, and Hong tells it very well indeed. Communications Booknotes Quarterly
Review
While there have been many books about Marconi and the invention of radio, Sungook Hong is the first to combine a thorough discussion of the scientific details with a lively account of the give-and-take between Marconi and his British contemporaries. Through his brilliant narration of this pivotal moment in the history of technology, Hong reminds us that the path from scientific discovery to commercial technology is often long, bumpy, and highly contested; yet it only along this path that new technologies acquire utility and meaning. Bruce J. Hunt, Department of History, University of Texas
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"Historians of science and technology will regard this book as the definitive work on the scientific underpinnings and technological development of wireless in its first fifteen years." David Hochfelder Business History Reviewandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press The MIT Press
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"This is a carefully drawn and well-written study that sheds new light on an old but central story." Communications Booknotes Quarterlyandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"With clarity and precision, Sungook Hong shows how theoretical science and practical engineering came together in the 1890s to produce wireless telegraphy, a technology that now pervades the modern world. It is an important and fascinating story, and Hong tells it very well indeed."--Bruce J. Hunt, Department of History, University of Texasandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"While there have been many books about Marconi and the invention of radio, Sungook Hong is the first to combine a thorough discussion of the scientific details with a lively account of the give-and-take between Marconi and his British contemporaries. Through his brilliant narration of this pivotal moment in the history of technology, Hong reminds us that the path from scientific discovery to commercial technology is often long, bumpy, and highly contested; yet it only along this path that new technologies acquire utility and meaning."--W. Bernard Carlson, Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginiaandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press
Review
This is a carefully drawn and well-written study that sheds new light on an old but central story. David Hochfelder - Business History Review
Synopsis
By 1897 Guglielmo Marconi had transformed James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetic waves into a workable wireless telegraphy system, and by 1907 Lee de Forest had invented the audion, a feedback amplifier and oscillator that opened the way to practical radio transmission. Fifteen years after Marconi's invention, wireless had become an essential means of communication, as well as a hobby for many.This book offers a new perspective on the early days of wireless communication. Drawing on previously untapped archival evidence and recent work in the history and sociology of science and technology, it examines the substance and context of both experimental and theoretical aspects of engineering and scientific practices in the first years of this technology. It offers new insights into the relationship between Marconi and his scientific advisor, the physicist John Ambrose Fleming (inventor of the vacuum tube). It includes the full story of the infamous 1903 incident in which Marconi's opponent Nevil Maskelyne interfered with Fleming's public demonstration of Marconi's syntonic (tuning) system at the Royal Institution by sending derogatory messages from his own transmitter. The analysis of the Maskelyne affair highlights the struggle between Marconi and his opponents, the efficacy of early syntonic devices, Fleming's role as a public witness to Marconi's private experiments, and the nature of Marconi's "shows." It also provides a rare case study of how the credibility of an engineer can be created, consumed, and suddenly destroyed. The book concludes with a discussion of de Forest's audion and the shift from wireless telegraphy to radio.
Synopsis
A new look at the early history of wireless communication.
By 1897 Guglielmo Marconi had transformed James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetic waves into a workable wireless telegraphy system, and by 1907 Lee de Forest had invented the Audion, a feedback amplifier and oscillator that opened the way to practical radio transmission. Fifteen years after Marconi's invention, wireless had become an essential means of communication, as well as a hobby for many.
This book offers a new perspective on the early days of wireless communication. Drawing on previously untapped archival evidence and recent work in the history and sociology of science and technology, it examines the substance and context of both experimental and theoretical aspects of engineering and scientific practices in the first years of this technology. It offers new insights into the relationship between Marconi and his scientific advisor, the physicist John Ambrose Fleming (inventor of the vacuum tube). It includes the full story of the infamous 1903 incident in which Marconi's opponent Nevil Maskelyne interfered with Fleming's public demonstration of Marconi's syntonic (tuning) system at the Royal Institution by sending derogatory messages from his own transmitter. The analysis of the Maskelyne affair highlights the struggle between Marconi and his opponents, the efficacy of early syntonic devices, Fleming's role as a public witness to Marconi's private experiments, and the nature of Marconi's "shows." It also provides a rare case study of how the credibility of an engineer can be created, consumed, and suddenly destroyed. The book concludes with a discussion of de Forest's Audion and the shift from wireless telegraphy to radio.
Synopsis
A new look at the early history of wireless communication.
Synopsis
By 1897 Guglielmo Marconi had transformed James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetic waves into a workable wireless telegraphy system, and by 1907 Lee de Forest had invented the audion, a feedback amplifier and oscillator that opened the way to practical radio transmission. Fifteen years after Marconi's invention, wireless had become an essential means of communication, as well as a hobby for many.
Synopsis
andlt;Pandgt;A new look at the early history of wireless communication.andlt;/Pandgt;
About the Author
Sungook Hong is Associate Professor at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto.