HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story…
Loading...

The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers (original 1998; edition 2007)

by Tom Standage

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,3372914,005 (3.89)56
The Victorian Internet tells the colorful story of the telegraph's creation and remarkable impact, and of the visionaries, oddballs, and eccentrics who pioneered it, from the eighteenth-century French scientist Jean-Antoine Nollet to Samuel F. B. Morse and Thomas Edison. The electric telegraph nullified distance and shrank the world quicker and further than ever before or since, and its story mirrors and predicts that of the Internet in numerous ways.… (more)
Member:codehooligans
Title:The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers
Authors:Tom Standage
Info:Walker & Company (2007), Edition: 1st, Paperback, 256 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers by Tom Standage (1998)

  1. 10
    Future Shock by Alvin Toffler (fugitive)
  2. 10
    A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable by John Steele Gordon (ABVR)
    ABVR: Another short (< 250 page), well-written, non-technical history of the telegraph in the 19C. Gordon focuses on one piece of the core infrastructure, Standage on the instrument itself and its social impact.
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 56 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 29 (next | show all)
NF
  vorefamily | Feb 22, 2024 |
This is an interesting history of the telegraph. Standage not only examines how it was invented and spread, but the impact it had on how people communicated, the culture of the telegraph industry, and the ways it was used and abused. Throughout, Standage draws parallels between the telegraph and the internet: both revolutionized communication, were optimistically but falsely hailed as facilitators of world peace, were used to facilitate business transactions, and were abused by scammers.

The book was originally written in the late 1990s, so it has a very rosy view of the internet and its possibilities. An afterword was added in 2007 that addressed the dotcom bust, but still paints a positive picture of the internet. It would be interesting to see another afterword now.....

All in all, this is a very interesting and readable book. ( )
  Gwendydd | Oct 22, 2023 |
I've certainly read worse books. This provides a nice, general, history of the telegraph. Standage does a fine job of providing a brief context but the real strength is looking at the boarder impact of the technology (and the offshoots from those early successes). This book successeds in conveying the idea of invention as a team or compounding practice, and Standage provides those steps along the way. It would, however, have been nice to see a more clear context and credit provided for the development of the telegraph - Alfred Vail's contributions were glossed over, in turn presenting him as simply an assistant or part-time helper. Further context would always have been welcomed, but given the scope and audience of the book the lack thereof is acceptable.
Overall, a fine and easy read to provide a refresher on the topic. ( )
  E_Morgan_Huhn | Oct 26, 2022 |
Very enlightening! It’s amazing the parallels that exist between the early days of telegraphy and our own internet and cell phones. This very readable book takes you through the early development of the idea of telegraphy. It was a radical in it’s time. In fact I suspect even more radical then our own cell phones of today. I would loved to have seen some discussion or wireless telegraphy being my only suggestion. Recommended!! ( )
  stevetempo | Sep 26, 2022 |
I expected the title to be hype but was pleasantly surprised by this book. The first online dating, marriage all took place over the telegraph. First online crime took place over the telegraph. When it was first built it was expected to usher in a lasting world peace as governments could instantly communicate with each other. This book is well worth the time to read. ( )
  kevn57 | Dec 8, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 29 (next | show all)
"an engaging and readable account of the invention, growth, and decline of the telegraph. "
added by wademlee | editLibrary Journal, Wade Lee
 

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Standage, Tomprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Snow, GeorgeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
To Mr & Mrs G.
First words
In the nineteenth century, there were no televisions, aeroplanes, computers, or spacecraft; neither were there antibiotics, credit cards, microwave ovens, compact discs, or mobile phones.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (4)

The Victorian Internet tells the colorful story of the telegraph's creation and remarkable impact, and of the visionaries, oddballs, and eccentrics who pioneered it, from the eighteenth-century French scientist Jean-Antoine Nollet to Samuel F. B. Morse and Thomas Edison. The electric telegraph nullified distance and shrank the world quicker and further than ever before or since, and its story mirrors and predicts that of the Internet in numerous ways.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.89)
0.5
1
1.5
2 9
2.5
3 35
3.5 10
4 102
4.5 4
5 34

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

Tantor Media

An edition of this book was published by Tantor Media.

» Publisher information page

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,226,677 books! | Top bar: Always visible