Getting the Message
A History of Communications
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:30th Sep '99
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The past century has seen developments in communications technology probably unrivalled in any other field of human activity. Significant advances are made every year, and both our work and leisure activities are critically influenced by these developments. Getting the message explores the fascinating history of communications, starting with ancient civilisations, the Greeks and Romans, then leading through the development of the electric telegraph, and up to the present day with email and cellular phones. The technology is explained in a particularly simple and accessible way, and themes from politics, economics, and society weave in and out of the scientific ideas. The book concludes with a look at the possible future of communications, the new developments to come, and the implications these will have for our everyday lives. Lavishly illustrated, and including many original illustrations that show just how these new developments were received in their time, the book presents an informative and highly entertaining introduction to the field of communications.
The delight of 'Getting the Message' is Laszlo Solymar's deft and illuminating interweaving of the human and the technological sides of communications. He puts each major innovation in the context of its times, so you understand its impact. His explanations are lucid, and his stories both thought-provoking and fun. Solymar has reached the writer's hardest goal, combining sharp insight with clear and entertaining prose in a book readers will treasure. Jeff Hecht, author of 'City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics' and of 'Understanding Fiber Optics'
With Laszlo Solymar's meticulous (and highly singular) account we gain a real understanding of from where we have come. In a world where unimaginable amounts of dense data flow through a strand of dark fibre, a book that so clearly explains sheds its own luminous light for lay reader and expert alike. David Edmonds, Director General of the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel)
ISBN: 9780198503330
Dimensions: 253mm x 197mm x 24mm
Weight: 877g
324 pages