Lee de Forest

King of Radio, Television, and Film

By: Mike Adams

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Paperback | 15 October 2011

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572 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 3.18

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Chapter 1 Born to Invent.- The Century of the Inventor.- Toward Communication Without Wires.- Inventing the Motion Picture.- Enter Lee de Forest.- Toward the New Century.- Chapter 2 The Race for Wireless.- The Significance of Marconi.- De Forest's Early Career.- Seeking a Better Detector.- The Complex Wireless Business.- A Silent Film Industry Emerges.- Chapter 3 The Meaning of the Audion.- The Dawn of Modern Electronics.- De Forest Creates the Audion.- Broadcasting's Pioneers.- De Forest as an Early Broadcaster.- De Forest's Complex Love Lives.- Chapter 4 California Days.- Film Finds Language and Locations.- De Forest and the Law.- Selling the Audion.- The High Bridge Broadcasts.- The Watershed Year 1920.- Chapter 5 Radio's Arrival.- The RCA Agreements.- Defining American Radio Broadcasting.- Hugo Gernsback and Radio News.- Creating a Radio Audience.- Radio Technology Matures.- Chapter 6 Phonofilm, the Promise.- De Forest's Inspiration.- Inventing Phonofilm.- The Case Connection.- The Arc of Family.- The Silent Film as Mature Medium.- Chapter 7 Phonofilm, the Realization.- Case is Impatient.- De Forest Introduces Phonofilm.- The Business of Phonofilm.- De Forest Diversions.- What the Phonofilms Say.- Chapter 8 Phonofilm, the Rejection.- A Deaf Ear to Phonofilm.- Death by Vitaphone.- The End of Mary.- The Industry and the Public Adapt.- Sound-On-Film Technology Wars.- Chapter 9 Phonofilm, the Lawyers.- The Fox-Case Suit.- The Final Days of Phonofilm.- The Loneliness of Lee.- Hollywood Happiness.- Old Patents and New Awards.- Chapter 10 Lesson and Legacy.- The Father of Radio.- Awards and Accolades.- Other Opinions.- And In The End.- The Significance of Lee De Forest.

Industry Reviews

From the reviews:

"'Lee de Forest: King of Radio, Television and Film' - Author Mike Adams, a media professor at San Jose State University, knows radio and film: he brings those worlds together in his discussion of de Forest, including the inventor's role in the film industry. This is a well-documented history book that media and technology history fans will appreciate." (Radio World, September, 2012)

"Lee de Forest: King of Radio, Television, and Film ... is the first full biography of the once-famous inventor to appear in years. Adams, a longtime San Jose State University faculty member and historian, has plumbed the de Forest archive for this study which brings to light many new details of a complex and sometimes maddening man. ... An appendix provides details of many key patents. ... This is an important book for the too-thin shelf on radio's pioneers." (Chris Sterling, CBQ Communication Booknotes Quarterly, Vol. 43 (2), April-June, 2012)

"We have a new and insightful biography of Lee de Forest, by long-term radio-history author Mike Adams. ... the reader gets 'basic training' in motion-picture history and production theory, a helpful addition. ... Adams treats the personality of de Forest with realism ... . he had his admirers, especially himself, and did perform useful (!) work. This book is a real contribution to de Forest lore, well organized and satisfyingly written." (Ludwell Sibley, Tube Collector, February, 2012)

"This book is well written, flows well and is easy to read. ... I enjoyed the book very much. There are many very interesting images from the de Forest papers that I had not seen before ... . The book and the images therein provide an opportunity for further research and insights into the real history of de Forest. ... I certainly recommend this thought-provoking book to anyone interested in de Forest's contributions to the evolution of radio ... ." (Eric Wenaas, Antique Wireless Journal, Vol. 53 (1), January, 2012)

"At long last we have a biography of Lee de Forest, the self-proclaimed 'father of radio.' Mike Adams brings to life the story of a great inventor. ... the reader will discover that Lee de Forest's contributions went well beyond radio's sound technology. ... The book is organized into ten chapters walking the reader through life, controversies, inventions, and contributions. ... a very significant contribution to the history of electronic media and motion pictures and to the scholarship and classrooms of both disciplines." (Donald G. Godfrey, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 56 (2), 2012)

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