How did one of the great inventions of the 19th century-- Thomas Edison's phonograph-- eventually lead to one of the most culturally and economically significant technologies of the 20th and 21st centuries? Sound Recording tells that story, tracing the history of the business boom and the cultural revolution begun by Edison's invention. Ever since, recorded sound has been all around us--not just in reproducing and playing popular music, but also in more mundane areas, such as office dictation machines, radio and television programs, and even telephone answering machines. Just as the...

Electronics is the first book of its kind--a comprehensive account of the history of one of the late 20th century's greatest technologies--the field of electron devices. Some of these devices, the laser and the microchip for example, have become household words, but their origins and operation are largely unknown to the general public. Other devices that form the heart of important electronic systems are virtually unknown outside the field of engineering. Electronics is the first book to survey the histories of all these devices, showing how they relate to each other and to...

How did one of the great inventions of the nineteenth century--Thomas Edison's phonograph--eventually lead to one of the most culturally and economically significant technologies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries? Sound Recording traces the history of the business boom and the cultural revolution that Edison's invention made possible.

Recorded sound has pervaded nearly every facet of modern life--not just popular music, but also mundane office dictation machines, radio and television programs, and even telephone answering machines. Just as styles of music have...