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“Colorful, smooth, and wonderfully engaging. The Victorian Internet is a delightful book.”
— Smithsonian magazine
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Fans of Longitude will enjoy another story of the human side of dramatic technological developments, complete with personal rivalry, vicious competition, and agonizing failures.
— Therese Littleton, Amazon.com
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“I was simply fascinated by this book. It contains parallels between the reception of the telegraph and the Internet which I knew nothing about.”
— Vinton Cerf, co-inventor of the Internet
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“A fascinating walk through a pivotal period in history.”
— USA Today
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“The parallels between the now-ubiquitous Internet and the telegraph are amazing, offering insight into the ways new technologies can change the very fabric of society within a single generation…[For fans] of the human side of dramatic technological developments, complete with personal rivalry, vicious competition, and agonizing failures.”
— Amazon.com
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“Fascinating…[If] you’ve ever hankered for a perspective on media Net hype, this book is for you.”
— Wired
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“The skepticism and technical problems that dogged the development of the electric telegraph make for fascinating reading…Men and women fell in love, marriages were performed, criminals were apprehended, and all manner of scams were tried over the telegraph. This is an accessible and enjoyable little volume.”
— Kliatt
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“A lively, short history of the development and rapid growth a century and a half ago of the first electronic network, the telegraph.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“An engaging and readable account.”
— Library Journal
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“A fascinating overview of a once world-shaking invention and its impact on society.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“Derek Perkins narrates this revised version with enthusiasm for the technology that shaped the 1800s as the parallels between the telegraph and the Internet are drawn. Standage packs in lots of factual information, blending it with anecdotes…Perkins delivers these stories in a voice that has sufficient gravity but that also leaves room for drama and amusement. Even listeners who think they’re not interested in the topic could find this audiobook surprisingly fascinating.”
— AudioFile