Empire of the Air tells the story of three American visionaries-Lee de Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff-whose imagination and dreams turned a hobbyist's toy into radio, launching the modern communications age. Tom Lewis weaves the story of these men and their achievements into a richly detailed and moving narrative that spans the first half of the twentieth century, a time when the American romance with science and technology was at its peak. Empire of the Air is a tale of pioneers on the frontier of a new technology, of American entrepreneurial spirit, and of the tragic collision between inventor and corporation.
Empire of the Air tells the story of three American visionaries-Lee de Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff-whose imagination and dreams turned a hobbyist's toy into radio, launching the modern communications age. Tom Lewis weaves the story of these men and their achievements into a richly detailed and moving narrative that spans the first half of the twentieth century, a time when the American romance with science and technology was at its peak. Empire of the Air is a tale of pioneers on the frontier of a new technology, of American entrepreneurial spirit, and of the tragic collision between inventor and corporation.
Prologue: A New Empire for a New Century
1. The Faith in the Future
2. The Will to Succeed
3. "What Wireless Is Yet to Be"
4. Sarnoff and Marconi: Inventing a Legend
5. Wireless Goes to War
6. Releasing the Art: The Creation of RCA
7. Snapshots from the First Age of Broadcasting
8. CourtFight
9. The Godlike Presence
10. Armstrong and the FM Revolution
11. The Wizard War
12. "Until I'm Dead or Broke"
13. Victories Great and Small
Epilogue: The Empire in Decline
Tom Lewis is Professor Emeritus of English at Skidmore College. His most recent book is Washington. In addition to his numerous books, he has written and produced award-winning documentary films for Florentine Films and public television. He lives in Maine.
Lewis's book, which relates the civil wars between the principal
figures in the invention and development of radio, is an
achievement in its own right: finely detailed, engagingly written,
and unexpectedly dramatic.
*Boston Globe*
[Lewis] has all of the skills and instincts of a historian, a gift
for clear description of complex technologies and a real passion
for detail.
*Los Angeles Times*
A compelling tale that takes readers back to another era and shows
us how our lives were transformed forever.
*Washington Post*
The lives of the two innovative technologists (Lee DeForest and
Edwin Armstrong) and the entrepreneur (David Sarnoff) whose work
led to the success of radio provide the basis for this
well-researched and superbly written volume.
*Publishers' Weekly*
Empire of the Air is indispensable for anyone curious about the
beginnings of broadcasting and there is more than enough personal
drama and social and political history to make the book
entertaining and informative for the general reader.
*Globe & Mail*
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.
*Library Journal*
[A] compelling read for anyone with an interest in the history of
radio and television.
*RadioUser*
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