New Media, 1740-1915 (Media in Transition)

This was a wonderfully surprising book containing historical and critical insights into a number of technologies which were once "new" and had taken the world by storm. The book is worth it just for the chapter on romantic and melodramatic fiction that had been written by and about telegraph operators. Who would think now that that had every been a genre? Scrap-booking, stereoscopic viewers, and automatic silhouette drawing devices are also featured. It was far more entertaining a book than I had expected.

This book takes a look at the long past of new media. Whilst these are not huge breakthroughs by modern standards many of them were revolutionary in their day and their impact perhaps more than any recent innovations. We can't imagine the impact that the first telegraph and telephone had on the world when communications today are taken so much for granted - but imagine, talking to someone far away instantly when previously you had to send a letter or walk there.New Media takes a long view starting with the zograscope (a method of showing 3D images) and considers the social and cultural context of these devices, it allows us to pause and reflect on them and contextualise our own new media, and as such I suggest it should be read by anyone with an interest in media.