Communications Under the Seas: The Evolving Cable Network and Its Implications (Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology) [Hardcover]

Bernard Finn (Editor), Daqing Yang (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262012863 | ISBN-13: 978-0262012867 | Publication Date: June 19, 2009

The technology of undersea communications, from stranded-wire telegraph cables in the 1850s to fiber-optic cables at the end of the twentieth century, and its social, political, and economic impact.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bernard Finn and Daqing Yang have assembled a world-class team of scholars focused on the history and geopolitical and economic implications of transoceanic cable telecommunications. This is a volume in which any reader can find challenging, fundamental questions about the co-evolution of technology, the nation state, and global capitalism. I can't imagine a better way to provoke debate and meaningful discussion than to assign the chapters in this book to students and begin with the simple question, 'So what do some ribbons of copper and glass on the bottom of the sea tell us about technology, commerce, empire, and geopolitics?'"--David A. Hounshell, David M. Roderick Professor of Technology and Social Change, Carnegie Mellon University

By the end of the twentieth century, fiber-optic technology had made possible a worldwide communications system of breathtaking speed and capacity. This amazing network is the latest evolution of communications technologies that began with undersea telegraph cables in the 1850s and continued with coaxial telephone cables a hundred years later. Communications under the Seas traces the development of these technologies and assesses their social, economic, and political effects. If we cannot predict the ultimate consequences of today's wired world--its impact on economic markets, free expression, and war and peace--or the outcome of the conflict between wired and wireless technology, we can examine how similar issues have been dealt with in the past. The expert contributors to this volume do just that, discussing technical developments in undersea cables (and the development of competing radio and satellite communications technology), management of the cables by private and public interests, and the impact on military and political activities. Chapters cover such topics as the daring group of nineteenth-century entrepreneurs who wove a network of copper wires around the world (and then turned conservative with success); the opening of the telegraphic network to general public use; the government- and industry-forced merger of wireless and cable companies in Britain; and the impact of the cable network on diplomacy during the two world wars.

About the Author

"The excellent contributions to this volume help to underscore the need for additional research and publications to fill out the global map. Finn, Yang, and their colleagues have set a high standard." John A. Britton Technology and Culture

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (June 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262012863
• ISBN-13: 978-0262012867
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,907,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book, January 4, 2012

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This review is from: Communications Under the Seas: The Evolving Cable Network and Its Implications (Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology) (Hardcover)

This book is a series of essays on the commercial, economic, and strategic implications of submarine telecommunications cables, beginning with the earliest telegraph cables through today's fiber optic cables. One might consider this the story of the rise, fall, and rise of submarine telecoms; at first telegraph was successful but was largely superseded by radio and then satellite for a number of decades. Today's modern fiber networks have reclaimed a pre-eminent position for subsea cables. This is not a technical book; it's a mix of history, economics, and politics. If this interests you, then go for it; if you are looking for something about technology or for a quick read, then this book is not for you. If you work in the submarine telecom industry (and I do) it will provide some interesting historical context.