From the Wireless to the Web: The Evolution of Telecommunications 1901-2001

Today's Internet is the child of two technological revolutions telecommunications and the electronic computer. This history dates the true beginnings of the World Wide Web to the bridging of the Atlantic with radio signals in 1901. It tells the story of the creation of the system of international communication based on the cable, radio, and, more recently, the satellite. The author also briefly speculates on the future. The focus is less on personalities than on the actual technological developments that have led to the current state of the telecommunications. Some attention is paid to the effects of wider historical events, such as the need for communication tools during wartime. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)