Books › The Victorian Internet
The Victorian Internet
the remarkable story of the telegraph and the nineteenth century's on-line pioneers
First published 1998 · 256 pages
A lively, anecdote-rich journey through the nineteenth century that proves our modern obsession with instant communication is anything but new.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a bustling nineteenth-century workshop filled with eccentric inventors and crackling wires. It is a brisk, highly entertaining micro-history that reads less like a dry textbook and more like a collection of lively journalistic dispatches. The narrative moves with an enthusiastic energy, mirroring the rapid spread of the telegraph itself. You will find yourself immersed in an intellectually stimulating atmosphere where the thrill of discovery is matched only by the cutthroat rivalries of early tech pioneers. The prose is crisp and accessible, focusing on the deeply human quirks behind the machinery. It is a perfect delight for tech enthusiasts and history buffs who enjoy seeing the anxieties and triumphs of the digital age perfectly mirrored in the Victorian era.
- Mood
- bustling
- curious
- intellectually stimulating
- optimistic
- Tone
- wry
- enthusiastic
- accessible
- anecdotal
- playful
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- technological disruption · human ingenuity · cyclical history · the desire for connection · unintended consequences
- The writing
- Crisp, journalistic, and highly readable, favoring colorful character portraits and lively anecdotes over dense technical jargon.
- The arc
- Begins with curious amusement at early electrical parlor tricks, builds to awe at the shrinking of the globe, and settles into a wry comfort that human nature remains unchanged by technology.
- Who it's for
- Tech enthusiasts and fans of narrative micro-histories who love discovering that the modern world is not as unprecedented as it seems.
About the book
The Victorian Internet tells the 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, whose experiments proved that electricity could be transmitted over great distances, to Samuel F. B.
Morse, who developed the first practical electric telegraph in 1837, to Thomas Edison, who began his career in the telegraph business and proposed to his wife by tapping Morse code on her hand, Tom Standage tells a colorful tale of scientific discovery, technological cunning, personal rivalry, and cutthroat competition.
Description from Open Library.
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