Russell W. Burns graduated from the University of Durham in 1948 with a first class honours degree in physics. Following post-graduate research he joined the Royal Naval Scientific Service in 1952. Professor Burns subsequently held various appointments in higher education in the UK and abroad, obtaining his PhD from the University of Leicester in 1976, and retired in 1989. He has been researching and writing on the history of electrical engineering for more than 30 years. He was awarded the IEE's SET Divisional Board Premium in 1993 and shared the Maxwell Premium in 1994. An IET Fellow, Professor Burns is a past chairman of the IEE's History of Technology professional group, Archives Committee and Science Education and Technology Divisional Board.

'a highly valuable recounting of communications history. It is well organised in numerous technical subjects and addresses both readers who might simply want to get a general picture of communications history, as well as those who might prefer to focus on particular topics.'

• Chapter 1: Communication among the ancientsChapter 2: Semaphore signallingChapter 3: The development of electric telegraphy from c. 1750-1850Chapter 4: Electric telegraphy - commercial and social considerationsChapter 5: Submarine telegraphyChapter 6: The telephoneChapter 7: Optical communicationsChapter 8: Images by wire, picture telegraphy (1843-c. 1900)Chapter 9: Distant vision (c. 1880-1908)Chapter 10: The early wireless pioneersChapter 11: Early experimental wireless telegraphy (1895-1898)Chapter 12: Other wireless developmentsChapter 13: Maritime wireless telegraphyChapter 14: Point-to-point communicationsChapter 15: Television development, pre-1914Chapter 16: The Great War years, 1914-1918Chapter 17: The birth of sound broadcastingChapter 18: Some important developments in the 1920sChapter 19: The rise and fall of low definition television, c. 1920-c. 1930Chapter 20: The birth of high definition televisionChapter 21: EMI and high definition televisionChapter 22: The emergence of new technologiesChapter 23: Epilogue

Russell W. Burns graduated from the University of Durham in 1948 with a first class honours degree in physics. Following post-graduate research he joined the Royal Naval Scientific Service in 1952. Professor Burns subsequently held various appointments in higher education in the UK and abroad, obtaining his PhD from the University of Leicester in 1976, and retired in 1989. He has been researching and writing on the history of electrical engineering for more than 30 years. He was awarded the IEE's SET Divisional Board Premium in 1993 and shared the Maxwell Premium in 1994. An IET Fellow, Professor Burns is a past chairman of the IEE's History of Technology professional group, Archives Committee and Science Education and Technology Divisional Board.

'a highly valuable recounting of communications history. It is well organised in numerous technical subjects and addresses both readers who might simply want to get a general picture of communications history, as well as those who might prefer to focus on particular topics.'

• Chapter 1: Communication among the ancientsChapter 2: Semaphore signallingChapter 3: The development of electric telegraphy from c. 1750-1850Chapter 4: Electric telegraphy - commercial and social considerationsChapter 5: Submarine telegraphyChapter 6: The telephoneChapter 7: Optical communicationsChapter 8: Images by wire, picture telegraphy (1843-c. 1900)Chapter 9: Distant vision (c. 1880-1908)Chapter 10: The early wireless pioneersChapter 11: Early experimental wireless telegraphy (1895-1898)Chapter 12: Other wireless developmentsChapter 13: Maritime wireless telegraphyChapter 14: Point-to-point communicationsChapter 15: Television development, pre-1914Chapter 16: The Great War years, 1914-1918Chapter 17: The birth of sound broadcastingChapter 18: Some important developments in the 1920sChapter 19: The rise and fall of low definition television, c. 1920-c. 1930Chapter 20: The birth of high definition televisionChapter 21: EMI and high definition televisionChapter 22: The emergence of new technologiesChapter 23: Epilogue