Customer Reviews

History of Wireless

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This is a collection, and the quality of the articles varies widely. Some of the folks are, to be blunt, poor writers of English and could have used some serious editing. On the other hand, several of the authors have the kind of solid understanding of the technical issues -- electromagnetic theory in this case -- that a popular journalist rarely brings to the table. The book starts with a huge chronology, which is of course a bit dull to plod through, but contains a number of remarkable revelations -- e.g. the first ideas about radar are much earlier than you would have thought! There are a couple of interesting discussions about Maxwell and his work, which conveniently provide his actual (scalar) equations in modern notation. Features are also provided on Heaviside, Hertz, Tesla, and other luminaries. Worthwhile for the scholar or serious student of the history of science, but not likely to be accessible for those looking for a quick read.

This book shows what is so very wrong with the technical-book industry.

It has not been edited.

Wiley-Interscience seems to think it has no obligation to pay someone to carefully read the manuscripts they receive, in order to locate factual and technical errors, and correct them.

"History of Wireless" includes many errors, including the classic "Sony invented the transistor radio" one. It also grovels at the feet of James Clerk Maxwell, which is out of place in a book of this sort.

I was so turned off by these things that I (literally) tossed the book aside and have not read any more of it. I remain interested in the history of radio; perhaps someday when I have nothing better to do with my time I will return to this book.

This is an excellent book, written by experts in their respective areas who have researched well. This is a definitive reference. It includes important but often less well known experimenters of the time, not just the well-known contributers. A must have for anyone interested in the factual history of wireless.