MidnightScience Radio History Books

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Radio manufacturers and Radio History

Crystal Radio: History Fundamentals and Design was written by a long-time member of the Xtal Set Society, Mr. Phil Kinzie. It chronicles the fascinating history and development of the crystal detector, including the reasons for its brief dominance of the radio market after the turn of the century. Starting with the discovery of solid-state rectification and then through the development of the crystal detector the reader learns about great inventors such as Pickard, Braun, Dunwoody, and others. Radio fundamentals such as antennas, ground, lightning protection, tuned circuits, and detection are covered for the beginner. The unending compromise between selectivity and sensitivity is discussed for the crystal set designer. Advanced topics such as the use of multi-tuned circuits and wave traps follow for the serious experimenter. Great background for any crystal radio enthusiast.

Radio Craft: 50 Years of Radio, edited by Hugo Gernsback.
In March of 1938 Radio-Craft magazine commemorated the 50th anniversary of radio with a special "Jubilee Souvenir" issue, now highly sought after by collectors. Its look back at the first 5 decades of radio is priceless, featuring articles on the beginning of commercial broadcasting, technical developments in the evolution of the home radio receiver, the history of the vacuum tube, and of course, the famous Hugo Gernsback predictions of what the future of electronics would bring. A special 11 page feature story entitled "Reminiscences of Old-Timers" carries interviews with all of the radio pioneers who were alive at the time, including Lee DeForest, David Sarnoff, Frank Conrad, Powell Crosley Jr., McMurdo Silver, and others. This reprint preserves the fervor and enthusiasm which characterized radio’s golden years. It contains over 100 advertisements for early radio products, as well as the landmark articles which recounted the early history of radio in the U.S. This reprint is hard to put down. It's just plain fun to read. Sonoran Publishing has done a beautiful job of recreating this 1938 landmark issue.

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