I found a book I read a while ago that I think is one of the best reads I've had in some time: "Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse And the Race to Electrify the World" by Jill Jonnes. What's most fun about it is that it sounds just like the beginning of the personal computer industry or the internet business or a number of other major bubble-driven businesses. And it all happened more than 100 years ago. Reminds you that we're not so unique, after all.
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November 27, 2005
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Cake Widget
- Cake Widget
Another great book about a past technical revolution is "The Victorian Internet", about the development of the telegraph.
A very fun and easy read, with all sorts of illustrations of how there's nothing new under the sun. (For instance, I was amused to learn that the first online wedding was by telegraph, and it took the Supreme Court to finally declare it as valid.)
A nice mix of technical description along with the social impacts of the new invention. Definitely worth checking out.
Posted by: John Rose | March 21, 2007 at 09:47 PM