In today’s day and age, with high speed internet and wi-fi everywhere and cell phone service across the globe, it’s easy to forget how revolutionary radio was at the turn of the 20th century. Empire of the Air is a fascinating look at three of the main pioneers who were instrumental in bringing wireless sound to the world. Lee de Forest, Henry Armstrong and David Sarnoff were the American inventors and innovators who ushered in the radio era. Through two world wars and a post-war boom radio, and then television, changed our world, bringing people across the globe together. Lewis looks at the triumphs and the challenges of three men whose names are now largely forgotten, but who were every bit as important as the Edisons and the Bells whose names are recognized by all.

There was a time there were no radios. And then, like cameras and bicycles before it, radio came in with a roar. It entertained, it saved lives, it made fortunes. It grew cultures together; everybody knew the same news, and much regional diversity was ironed-over.

You could spend a lifetime reading the story of Radio and the men (mostly) behind it. The full story of Radio is hundreds and thousands of people. Marconi, Braun. Tesla. Lodge, Bose, Maxwell. Gernsback, Fleming, Langmuir, Alexanderson. Atwater Kent. Brinkley!

Empire Of The Air picks three larger-than-life radio pioneers: De Forest, Sarnoff, and Armstrong. De Forest was IMHO a fool, but a famous fool. Armstrong understood the technology well. Sarnoff knew how to steamroller opponents to make himself look good. The realities are more complex, of course; read the book.

Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Cornell University Press for an advanced copy of this history title.

Every invention has its dreamers and its schemers, the person who did the wondering, the thinking and the work, and the person who sees dollar signs in these inventions. Tom Lewis in Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio writes about the early days of radio covering the first half of the twentieth century.

The book is very readable, with numerous interesting facts and research showing on every page. Mr. Lewis focuses on three men in particular, two inventors who helped guide radio into being a viable project and one businessman who made it a profitable industry. Sides are taken, patent wars are fought, money ruins relationships, more money is made and government agencies are created to guide this new business of radio.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. Mr. Lewis has a real knack and gift for taking statements written in technobabble and make them clear and understandable. That is not an easy thing. I learned quite a lot while reading this, and enjoyed reading this book even more.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style and the conversational tone. The biographical information is excellent and Tom Lewis portrays the main characters vividly and realistically, showing their strengths and flaws. This book is certainly not a hagiography to the inventors of the radio. I liked the interplay of science, politics and history, finding the book hard to put down. The book is mostly fast-paced but at times though, I thought that there was lack of clarity, especially when discussing the patent wars with all the dates, judges, and lawyers. Overall, this book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Cornell University Press for the advance reader copy.