Customer Reviews

The Boy Who Invented Television: A Story of Inspiration, Persistence, and Quiet Passion

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The story of television known to most people is a lie. An example of corporate greed kept down the inventor of electronic TV and stifled the potential of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. Philo Farnsworth is one amazing man and this book fills us with the excitement of his life and discoveries. Whether it was author Paul Schatzkin style or Philo's adventures, I was drawn to keep reading this book long after I should have been asleep.
The triumphs are all marked as well as the tribulations as Philo struggled against the odds as a "lone inventor". You get a sense of how advanced he was in his thinking and how his love of Pem brought him back on track after his disappointments. Philo's life is an inspiration and I feel that Paul Schatzkin captured it well in this book. I fully recommend it to anyone interested in human nature.

The Boy Who Invented Television is the astonishing biography of Philo T. Farnsworth, who at age 14 dreamed of trapping and transmitting light, and while plowing on his father's farm looked at the parallel rows he had been making and conceived of a practical and effective way to wirelessly beam information from one point to another which concept resulted in his 1930 fundamental patent for modern television. Farnsworth's struggle against challenges from the Radio Corporation from America, his fight to protect his vision from reticent investors, and his work that would forever change the world and modern communications, is presented in a highly readable narrative enhanced with black-and-white photographs. The Boy Who Invented Television is very highly recommended reading -- especially for television buffs who want to learn how it all really began!

One of the inventions of the twentieth century that had the greatest impact on how we live was television. And yet very few really know who was the "father of television?" I certainly didn't until I read this book. None other than Philo T Farnsworth was the man who at age 14 first thought up the ideas in a sketch that would later lead to the invention of the "boob tube" we know and love today. This book (a project some 25 years in the making as the author describes it), describes Philo's struggles with bringing his invention to fruition, his battles with RCA over patents relating to his invention, and his lack of deserved recognition, and later his frustrating attempts to harness fusion energy as a source of electrical power.

One thing I wondered about as I read the book was how many other inventors through time have faced the same struggles that Philo did, and how some of them dealt with that struggle. I can only imagine the stress and strain Philo went through and what he might think of how his invention is being used today, some 75 years after his first experiments.

Hopefully this book will help in recognizing the man who invented an appliance we all take for granted in today's world.

Paul Schatzkin may have spent longer researching the subject of this fine new biography of Philo T. Farnsworth than any other single writer. He has spent years of intensive research, finessing all the data and finally producing one of the more entertaining yet fully factual stories of a relatively uncelebrated man. Philo Farnsworth very quietly invented Television, and while much intrique and quasi-scandal surrounds the facts of this 20th century giant, Farnsworth is finally gaining the recognition he deserves for his miraculous invention. The author allows the story of his hero to unfold simply and without brouhaha, introducing this strange young inventor in a way that fully suits his life style. There is much to be learned here about the very physics and technical aspects of the miracle of television - how the idea was born, tested, then all but stolen. We come away from this fine book with a sense of the underdog genius who represents the finest aspect of 'The American Dream' and Schatzkin aptly subtitles his book 'A Story of Inspiration, Persistence, and Quiet Passion.' That about says it all. A must read for curious minds who thought they could never understand how television works.

Paul Schatzkin has done a wonderful and thorough job of tracing the path taken by the American genius, Philo T. Farnsworth, in producing the first usable, all electronic television transmission and public demonstration...P>The details of this final, virutally unknown, saga are almost as sad as that of his television effort.

A superb book that covers the full breadth of Farnsworth's life, not just his television effort. Well worth the thrifty price and a joy to read.

Richard Hull

I enjoyed the riveting story. I also got the sense, with all the references and footnotes, that this was a carefully researched book. Being an electrical engineer myself, I appreciated that there was enough technical information without loosing the understanding of lay readers. I found no technical
blunders, that often come in biographies of technical wizards.
In this book, it becames clear that there are technological breakthroughs that can only come from a great mind, and not from the "inevitable" march of technology.

I really enjoyed this engaging biography of Philo T. Farnsworth. The science of the book was mostly understandable to a layperson, and I found myself rooting for Farnsworth all the way. I could really sympathize with his triumphs and his losses, and I was so saddened and angry at the way he was treated toward the end of his life. It seems a real shame that he has not gotten the recognition he deserves, and I'm glad this book is out to give him the publicity due him.

I only wish this volume was longer and more detailed. Even so, Schatzkin has done an excellent job in covering the breadth of Farnsworth's life -- not just the battle for television, but his never-realized battle for successful fusion power as well. Even Godfrey's scholarly opus barely covers this latter phase of his life, which makes "The Boy Who Invented Telelvision" a vital addition to the Farnsworth canon.

Paul Schatzkin's engaging and thoroughly-researched book chronicles the life of a brilliant but largely overlooked inventor, the man who not only brought forth myriad patents forming the basis of modern television technology, but who also demonstrated sophisticated working television systems superior to those of competitors who now are accorded most of the credit. In reading this delightful book, you'll get both the personal and technical stories behind one of the most influential inventions in human history. Moreover, Farnsworth's later work in nuclear fusion is a compelling read, given that he was given encouragement by the likes of Albert Einstein in his quest to pursue a cheap and safe method of producing virtually inexhaustible power.

This Biography reads as a Suspense!
Will Philo Farnsworth get the money to develop his invention?
Will he get a patent?
Who will be the first to get the patent?
Who is "the other woman" in his life?
You have to read it to find the answers!

O.K.