The Last Lone Inventor - A Tale of Genius Deceit & the Birth of Television

Evan I. Schwartz

Summary

A “cogent and elegant” chronicle of the young television pioneer and the corporate executive determined to steal his invention (Publishers Weekly). 
 
Many men have laid claim to the title "father of television," but Philo T. Farnsworth is the true genius behind what may be the most influential invention of our time. In 1927, at only twenty years old, he created the first fully electronic television system, beating out inventors working on similar projects across the globe.  
 
Driven by his obsession to demonstrate his idea, Farnsworth operated his own laboratory above a garage in San Francisco while filing for patents. The resulting publicity caught the attention of RCA tycoon David Sarnoff, who was driven by an obsession of his own: to control television in the same way he monopolized radio. 
 
Based on original research, including interviews with Farnsworth family members, The Last Lone Inventor is the story of the epic struggle between two equally passionate adversaries whose clash symbolized a turning point in the culture of creativity.

Available since: 10/13/2009.

Print length: 352 pages.

Other books that might interest you

A Modest Proposal and Other...

Jonathan Swift, Various Various

Welcome to our digital audiobook collection of Irish writings, featuring three thought-provoking works by some of Ireland's greatest writers.

First up is Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," a satirical essay that takes a darkly humorous approach to addressing the poverty and suffering of the Irish people in the 18th century. Swift proposes that the solution to the country's economic woes is for the wealthy to buy and eat the children of the poor. This shocking proposal is not meant to be taken seriously but rather to highlight the callousness of those in power towards the plight of the less fortunate.

Next, we have "The Three Wishes", a charming folk tale that has been passed down through generations. The story follows a poor woodcutter who is granted three wishes by a fairy after showing her kindness. However, each wish comes with unintended consequences, and the woodcutter must learn the value of contentment and gratitude.

Finally, we have "Law in Ireland" by Maria Edgeworth, a renowned Irish novelist and literary figure. In this essay, Edgeworth explores the legal system in Ireland and the challenges faced by those seeking justice. She draws on personal experiences and observations to offer a nuanced perspective on the flaws and strengths of the system and proposes potential solutions.

This collection offers a diverse range of works that showcase the wit, humor, and insight of Irish writers. With expert narration and immersive sound design, our digital audiobook collection brings these stories to life, making them accessible to listeners around the world.

Show book

Life in a Day - A Memoir

Doris Grumbach

A look into the daily life of one of America’s great memoirists At seventy-seven Doris Grumbach is as sharp as ever, and in Life in a Day she examines the experiences of her later years, from the dreaded writer’s block to the many hours she has spent reading to the effects of an increasingly modern and interconnected world. Imbued with Grumbach’s characteristic candor and verve, Life in a Day is a celebration of the meaning to be found in the quotidian.

Show book

A Rare Recording of Helen...

Helena Keller, Annie Sullivan,...

Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Though born with the ability to see and hear, at 19 months-old she contracted an acute illness that left her both deaf and blind. Eventually, 20-year-old Anne Sullivan, herself visually impaired, became Keller's speech instructor. It was the beginning of a 49-year-long relationship during which Sullivan evolved into Keller's governess and eventually her companion. In 1914, Sullivan's health began to fail, so a young woman from Scotland, Polly Thompson was hired to keep house. Though she had no experience with deaf or blind people, Thompson progressed to working as a secretary, and eventually a constant companion to Keller. Keller went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. She was a suffragist, a pacifist, a radical socialist, and a birth control advocate. In 1915 she and George Kessler founded the Helen Keller International organization, devoted to research in vision, health and nutrition. In 1920 she helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union.

©2013 Listen & Live Audio, Inc. (P)2013 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Show book

Stott on the Christian Life -...

Tim Chester

John Stott was a twentieth-century pastor-theologian widely hailed for his heart for missions and expository preaching. Even today, Stott’s legacy continues to influence churches around the world. As both a faithful preacher and a thoughtful writer, Stott profoundly shaped evangelicalism’s contemporary understanding of Christianity through an approach to the Christian life founded on the word, shaped by the cross, and characterized by the pursuit of Christlikeness in every area of life. Tim Chester invites a new generation of readers to experience the Christian life as John Stott envisioned it―not simply a theological puzzle to be solved, but the daily practice of humble service and compassion found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Show book

Anton Chekhov - Six of the Best...

Anton Chekhov

Six has always been a number we group things around – Six of the best, six of one half a dozen of another, six feet under, six pack, six degrees of separation and a sixth sense are but a few of the ways we use this number. 
 
Such is its popularity that we thought it is also a very good way of challenging and investigating an author’s work to give width, brevity, humour and depth across six of their very best. 
 
In this series we gather together authors whose short stories both rivet the attention and inspire the imagination to visit their gems in a series of six, to roam across an author’s legacy in a few short hours and gain a greater understanding of their writing and, of course, to be lavishly entertained by their ideas, their narrative and their way with words. 
 
These stories can be surprising and sometimes at a tangent to what we expected, but each is fully formed and a marvellous adventure into the world and words of a literary master. 
 
 1 - Six of the Best - Anton Chekov - An Introduction 
2 - Anton Chekhov - An Introduction 
3 - The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov 
4 - The Kiss by Anton Chekhov 
5 - Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov 
6 - Misery by Anton Chekhov 
7 - The Student by Anton Chekhov 
8 - Volodya by Anton Chekhov

Show book

The Life of Samuel Johnson Vol III

James Boswell

This is the third volume of the Biography of Samuel Johnson. Samuel Johnson's Life has been documented in great detail by his friends, this biography being originally published by James Boswell, and then edited several times by other persons, such as John Croker, who have been friends of both Samuel Johnson as well as James Boswell.Already famous during his life time, Samuel Johnson's biography attracted considerable attention when it was published after Johnson's death, and continues to be read until today.

Show book