Susan J. Douglas is professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Michigan.

A superb portrait of the communications revolution that profoundly altered 20th-century life. It will provide fresh insights, and perhaps generate controversy. Washington Post Book World A successful, at times elegant interdisciplinary work. Douglas combines discussions of technology and of business structure, portraits of inventors and amateurs, and analysis of internal navy organization to construct a convincing narrative on the importance of the 'pre-history' of radio. She draws from an impressive range of contemporary newspapers and technical magazines, government and business reports, and personal correspondence. This is a significant contribution to the understanding of American radio. -- Robert B. Horowitz Business History Review Fascinating detail... A far clearer picture than has been previously available. Journal of Communication

• List of IllustrationsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Marconi and the America's Cup: The Making of an Inventor-Hero, 18992. Competition over Wireless Technology: The Inventors' Struggles for Technical Distinction, 1899-19033. The Visions and Business Realities of the Inventors, 1899-19054. Wireless Telegraphy in the New navy, 1899-19065. Inventors as Entrepreneurs: Success and Failure in the Wireless Business, 1906-19126. Popular Culture and Populist Technology: The Amateur Operators, 1906-19127. The Titanic Disaster and the First Radio Regulation, 1910-19128. The Rise of Military and Corporate Control, 1912-19199. The Social Construction of American Broadcasting, 1912-1922EpilogueNotesIndex