Overview

The history of the telephone explores the remarkable evolution of one of the most transformative inventions in modern communication. The book traces the early experiments that led to the successful transmission of voice through electrical signals and examines the obstacles faced by the inventors in developing and promoting the device. It presents the innovative environment of the time, where curiosity and determination reshaped how people connected across distances. The initial skepticism surrounding the invention is contrasted with the eventual acceptance and commercialization that revolutionized personal and business interactions. Through detailed descriptions of experimentation and perseverance, the narrative highlights how the idea of bridging voices through a wire turned from an abstract dream into a defining reality of technological progress. The text also touches upon themes of invention, ambition, and societal change, illustrating how a single discovery could alter patterns of communication and influence global development. This historical account provides a deep appreciation of human creativity and the enduring spirit behind technological innovation.

Full Product Details

9789374839966

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Herbert Newton Casson was a Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker whose prolific writing and activism reflected a lifelong engagement with social reform, business innovation, and technology. Born in Odessa, Ontario in 1869, Casson was largely self-educated, eventually attending Victoria College and graduating in theology. Although he was ordained as a Methodist minister, his career in the church was short-lived after he was tried for heresy and chose to leave the ministry. Relocating to Boston in the 1890s, he became active in labor and socialist movements, co-founding a Labor Church and participating in progressive causes alongside figures such as Keir Hardie and Samuel Gompers. He later helped establish Ruskin College at Oxford. As a journalist, Casson worked for major newspapers in New York, interviewing leading political and technological figures of his time, including presidents and inventors. His work increasingly focused on industrial efficiency, leading him to write extensively on business, industry, and innovation. Casson authored over 160 books, including influential titles like The Romance of Steel and History of the Telephone. He spent his later years in England, lecturing and writing until his death in 1951.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available