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Article: Signor Marconi's Magic Box: the Most Remarkable Invention of the Nineteenth Century and the Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution.(Book Review)(Brief Article)
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- September 1, 2003
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Barnes & Noble, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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GAVIN WEIGHTMAN Da Capo Press, 336 pages August ****
The late nineteenth century was an era of great discoveries. The railroad, the automobile, the telegraph, telephone and electric light--all became ordinary features of the world before the turn of the century. But, as Gavin Weightman declares in this lively saga, radio had a good claim to being "the most fabulous invention" of its age. Introduced to a London audience by Marconi in 1896, "wireless telegraphy" became instantly glamorous--in good part because no one, not even its inventor, was able to explain quite how the mysterious technology worked. Nor did it hurt that, by contrast to many of the celebrated ...