Signor Marconi's Magic Box: The Most Remarkable Invention Of The 19th Century & The Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked A Revolution

by Gavin Weightman

The world at the turn of the twentieth century was in the throes of "Marconi-mania"-brought on by an incredible invention that no one could quite explain, and by a dapper and eccentric figure (who would one day win the newly minted Nobel Prize) at the center of it all. At a time when the telephone, telegraph, and electricity made the whole world wonder just what science would think of next, the startling answer had come in 1896 in the form of two mysterious wooden boxes containing a device one Guglielmo Marconi had rigged up to transmit messages "through the ether." It was the birth of the radio, and no scientist in Europe or America, not even Marconi himself, could at first explain how it worked…it just did. And no one knew how far these radio waves could travel, until 1903, when a message from President Theodore Roosevelt to the king of England flashed from Cape Cod to Cornwall clear across the Atlantic.Here is a rich portrait of the man and his era-and a captivating tale of science and scientists, business and businessmen. There are stories of British blowhards, American con artists-and Marconi himself: a character par excellence, who eventually winds up a virtual prisoner of his worldwide fame and fortune.

Genres: History, Science, Biography, Nonfiction, Technology, Biography Memoir

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_We...

Reviews

[Shoomg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting biography of Guglielmo Marconi and his role in the invention of radio. While Marconi was not the first person to transmit radio signals, and while he didn't invent the building blocks that made up radio, he was the first person able to take what was a laboratory curiosity and to turn it into a practical system for long-distance communication. It was thanks to Marconi that wireless went from sending signals a few hundred yards to spanning the Atlantic ocean in less than a decade, and so he is, more than anyone, responsible for the birth of radio. This book is an interesting account of this achievement.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this book at a gift shop at the Cape Cod National Seashore after visiting the Marconi site there. Thought there would be a stronger connection to Cape Cod by Marconi and his groundbreaking device. According to the book, Cape Cod played only an ancillary role in the first transatlantic wireless telegraphy and Newfoundland played a much more historic role. For that reason, it was disappointing to me, but that's not the author's fault! The evolution of wireless telegraphy was well covered, including some of the human foibles of the protagonist Marconi. Like many breakthrough inventions, wireless technology improved exponentially almost immediately, and Marconi's invention was eclipsed by better technology before he died. The ending of the book surprised me with Marconi's association with a certain dictator, but read it to understand those details. If you like to read about stories of 19th century inventors like Edison or Tesla, you'll enjoy this read. Don't worry about it being too technical. It wasn't, and even Marconi himself never completely understood his own invention, but just knew that it worked.

[David Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better late than never - I should have read this long ago - radio has been my life, since a very tender age. Marconi is the father of wireless radio waves. I made ther pilgrimage to Signal Hill, Newfoundland, decades ago. Now I've finally read an account of the great man's life and, of course, it was very interesting; I've learnt a lot. Marconi was a pioneer who didn't take no for an answer. He had that necessary ingredient - curiosity. His curiosity would lead to the saving of thousands if not millions of lives, notably through wireless communication at sea. A worthwhile biography.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, in-depth account of Marconi and his great invention. What I most enjoyed was the discussion of other inventors and inventions that inspired Marconi.This book also went into how wireless technology was instrumental in saving lives

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK biography of inventor who promoted wireless and used it without scientifically knowing how it really worked. Best part is how it was used on the Titanic before it sank. Worth reading but there may be better biographies out there.

[Andrew Otis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting tale of a remarkable inventor. Sometimes bogs down. This book had no citations, so I am at a loss for where the author sourced specific information, which would have been nice given that it appeared there was some primary source research based on what the introduction discussed.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this at the Harvard Coop, and snapped it up. It's a good read and a fascinating topic. It's essentially a biography of Marconi, focusing on his most creative period, 1896 - 1910 or so. The author glosses past the engineering aspects, which I found frustrating -- why did Marconi's apparatus behave as unpredictably as it did? Would a better physics education have helped him? What did he think was happening, and what really did? Likewise, I wish the author talked more about the business aspects. What were the Marconi companies doing? What was their financial status? It comes up at several points in the narrative, but isn't really explained.

It's a good portrait of a fascinating individual, but insufficient as a technical or economic history.

[George Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just surfaced from the strata of my possessions. Five years since I read it but it still sparks recognition of how much I enjoyed reading about a narrow period of radio development that I cared little about beforehand. Consider visiting a time when radio waves were mysterious and no theory existed to guide the researchers to either create or detect them. Later devices such as the vacuum tube enabled an escape from this era but it was an erratic and unpredictable path. The accomplishments of Marconi still instill respect for his fortitude.

[Kyanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don't understand how radio works, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading this book. It managed to stay interesting and intelligent without getting bogged down in the technical details. I can't decide if it's a positive or negative, but every chapter ended with a cliffhanger or teaser that compelled me to keep reading. Good because if kept me reading, bad because it kept me up past my bedtime!

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book full of interesting facts - did you know that Baden-Powell's brother manufactured man-lifting kites that were used to hoist the aerial for the first ever transatlantic wireless transmission?

[Morrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this by accident perusing the biography section at the library. Didn't know this guy had so much to do with improving (though not inventing)wireless technology...

[Jeff Beebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't really explain how it worked -- but then, Marconi didn't know either.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting part of history.

[Johann Fourie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts very good but waters a bit down in the last quarter of the book. Nothing is said about voice radio development.