The Telephone

Dolbear, A. E. (Amos Emerson), 1837-1910Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 127K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Telephone by A. E. DolbearAuthor: Dolbear, A. E. (Amos Emerson), 1837-1910,Language: English, Class: TK: Technology: Electrical, Electronics and Nuclear engineering, Release Date: Jul 14, 2010

Editor's review

This book is a monograph on the telephone by the late nineteenth-century American physicist and inventor Amos Emerson Dolbear, released as an e-book by Project Gutenberg. Dolbear took part in early improvements to telephone technology, and his account carries the perspective of a participant, so the book is not only a document in the history of technology but also preserves first-hand contemporary discussion of problems such as sound-to-electric conversion and the structure of the microphone. For readers studying the evolution of communications technology, the history of scientific instruments, or nineteenth-century electrical engineering, it offers primary material beyond textbooks, useful for comparison with today's standardized narratives of the telephone's invention. It should be read as a historical source rather than a popular introduction: the terminology and experimental descriptions bear the marks of their era, and some of the ideas have been superseded by later technology, yet precisely these "outdated" passages best reflect knowledge in the making. It is suitable as supplementary material for courses in the history of technology, museum exhibitions, or preparation for science writing, and can also be read alongside biographies of Alexander Graham Bell for intertextual comparison.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of the history of communications technology and electrical engineering
Curators and writers for science museums or technology exhibitions
Enthusiasts of the history of science interested in nineteenth-century sites of invention
Science writers and biographers in need of primary-source documentation

Not a good fit for

General beginners hoping for a quick grasp of how modern telephones work
Casual readers who prefer popular narrative and lack a background in the history of technology
Technicians expecting a practical maintenance or engineering guide

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to establish the technical scope the author addresses, then decide which chapters to study closely
Read against Bell's telephone patents or contemporary literature, noting terminological differences and points of debate
Jot down superseded ideas as material for classroom discussion in the history of technology
When reading the English original, keep a basic electrical-engineering glossary at hand to lower the barrier to understanding

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for understanding telephone principles from scratch?

Not really. The book was written in the late nineteenth century, and its terminology and manner of exposition bear the marks of its time; it discusses the telephone devices and experiments of that era, not modern communications principles. Absolute beginners should start with popular works on the history of technology and use this book as supplementary primary material, focusing on how the author describes problems and experiments rather than expecting a systematic explanation.

Why is this book classified under technology in Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg's classification information places the book in the TK category, i.e., electrical, electronic, and nuclear engineering. This matches the author Dolbear's identity as a physicist and inventor; the book's content centers on the telephone as an electrical device, so it is classified under technology rather than literature or history.

What preparation is needed to read the English original?

The book is in English and not long, but it contains a good deal of specialized vocabulary. A basic glossary of electrical terms is advisable; when encountering concepts such as sound-to-electric conversion or the microphone, verify them before continuing. For research purposes, consult contemporary Chinese technical translations as well to understand terminological correspondences and avoid misreading caused by old translations.

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About the author

Dolbear, A. E. (Amos Emerson), 1837-1910 Author · American · 1837–1910

Amos Emerson Dolbear (1837–1910) was an American physicist and inventor who served as a professor at Tufts University. He demonstrated wireless telephony and studied the relationship between cricket chirping and temperature, reflecting an interest in applying physical principles to everyday observation. His writing addressed general readers: The Machinery of the Universe: Mechanical Conceptions of Physical Phenomena explained physical phenomena through mechanical models, while The Telephone introduced the principles and technology of the telephone. Only two of his works are held in the collection, and public information is limited, but he clearly excelled at explaining science in accessible terms and contributed to popular science in his time.