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108 reviews for:
The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers
Tom Standage
3.85 AVERAGE
108 reviews for:
The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers
Tom Standage
3.85 AVERAGE
So interesting! I didn't realize how massively important the telegraph was and how much it changed the world.
Brief and lively book on one of my favorite topics: history of science and technology. Indeed the telegraph was an astonishing leap forward and led directly to today's business and communication practices. This particular book belonged to my late colleague and I enjoyed noting the passages he had underlined.
I did wish the book had spent more time on the "online" culture that developed among the telegraph operators and less on who invented what when, but it was pretty fascinating anyway. And I didn't know the optical telegraph had been a thing. (I had thought the clacks in Discworld were just an extended joke substituting semaphore for Morse code but no, they essentially really existed.)
informative
reflective
fast-paced
A nice overview of the invention and history of the telegraph up to the 1890s, written in an accessible and entertaining way. I was a little disappointed it didn't continue on to wireless telegraphy, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the information that was covered.
I was annoyed by the fixation on Thomas Edison specifically; he can't have been the only telegraph operator who behaved notably. The internet analogy introduced by the title is only intermittently present in the text and not super well-executed, although some of that can be forgiven by its having been published in 1998. It seems like the author is trying to make a point about the impact of the internet on society, but that point isn't a throughline in the text and doesn't become clear until the final chapter.
I was annoyed by the fixation on Thomas Edison specifically; he can't have been the only telegraph operator who behaved notably. The internet analogy introduced by the title is only intermittently present in the text and not super well-executed, although some of that can be forgiven by its having been published in 1998. It seems like the author is trying to make a point about the impact of the internet on society, but that point isn't a throughline in the text and doesn't become clear until the final chapter.
The story of the rise and fall of the telegraph, and the communication revolution it spawned, is well-told, and foretold a lot about the social impact of the Internet.
The telegraph had a significant impact on the life of Edison (who began his career as a telegraph messenger boy,) and the invention of the telephone.
I believe this book is absolutely required reading for anyone interested in the Steampunk genre, because the truth is stranger than fiction. The laying of the transatlantic cable reads like a Jules Verne story.
It loses a star because it didn't go far enough. This could have been a longer and more satisfying book. The telegraph's importance during the American Civil war was only briefly touched. The telegram's cultural impact during the 20th Century was barely touched.
The telegraph had a significant impact on the life of Edison (who began his career as a telegraph messenger boy,) and the invention of the telephone.
I believe this book is absolutely required reading for anyone interested in the Steampunk genre, because the truth is stranger than fiction. The laying of the transatlantic cable reads like a Jules Verne story.
It loses a star because it didn't go far enough. This could have been a longer and more satisfying book. The telegraph's importance during the American Civil war was only briefly touched. The telegram's cultural impact during the 20th Century was barely touched.
I needed a "non-fiction book about technology" for my Book Riot Read Harder Challenge and was hard pressed to find something modern I cared to learn about in this dumpster fire we call 2017, so I instead turned to the Victorians and the advent of the telegraph.
Super illuminating and refreshing to see that new technology causes greatness and horribleness no matter the era. I was not aware the first telegraphs were visual, using long arms to gesture codes atop large hills (creepy) nor realized how horrid it must have been to try and lay cable across the Atlantic. on a boat. Yikes.
A highly readable micro-history!
Super illuminating and refreshing to see that new technology causes greatness and horribleness no matter the era. I was not aware the first telegraphs were visual, using long arms to gesture codes atop large hills (creepy) nor realized how horrid it must have been to try and lay cable across the Atlantic. on a boat. Yikes.
A highly readable micro-history!
Not my typical good first book of the new year, but I read all but 20% in Dec. I had hoped to finish it up then, and didn't get to it, so the last bit finished as my first book of the year.
It was alright. I'm not a non-fiction fan, and this was read purely for a challenge. Some of it was quite interesting though. I enjoyed the first several chapters, then it just kept going on and on. Still, liked it overall.
It was alright. I'm not a non-fiction fan, and this was read purely for a challenge. Some of it was quite interesting though. I enjoyed the first several chapters, then it just kept going on and on. Still, liked it overall.
A very readable account of the rise, spread, and fall of the telegraph. Extremely informative, and as the title suggests, full of resonances with the internet.