Gavin Weightman, ,Signor Marconi’s Magic Box (2003) HarperCollins publishers,London 0 00 713005 8...
1
Book review Signor Marconi’s Magic Box, Gavin Weightman. Harper- Collins publishers, London (2003). 312 pages, including 16 pages of photos and an extensive index. Hardback, £15.99, ISBN: 0 00 713005 8 Patent professionals deal continuously with inventors and their patents but only occasionally with the tiny minor- ity who turn their inventions into successful innovation, i.e. products on the market place. As 2007 is the 100th anniver- sary of the achievement of fully operational transatlantic wireless service Weightman’s book is now a timely remin- der of the life of Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937), one of the 20th century’s most successful innovators. Marconi did not invent wireless. It had been mathemat- ically predicted by Maxwell in 1865 and several people later found that wireless signals were induced over short dis- tances between parallel wires. However, it was Heinrich Herz who showed that wireless signals could be deliberately sent to a receiver in 1888 and he later succeeded in trans- mitting signals round his laboratory. The publicity caused by his early death in 1894 inspired inventors round the world to improve on this. Marconi was raised in some affluence in Italy with an Italian father and Irish mother but seems to have had little formal education. However, his family had a well stocked technical library and, inspired by books on Faraday and Franklin, he began studying sci- ence and electricity from his early teens. In 1894 he began his own experiments on radio and by 1896 had transmitted to receivers up to a mile away. He then came to London to develop his hardware. His relations (who owned an Irish whisky company) introduced him to Preece, head of the UK Post Office, and Marconi soon gave a successful public demonstration of his ‘‘magic box’’. The favourable public- ity caused the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company to be formed in 1897 most of whose investors were his rela- tions and their business associates. Of the initial £100,000 capital subscribed £15,000 (worth around 100 times as much now) was allocated to buy Marconi’s patent portfo- lio which he spent much time and money assembling. At this point he was only 23 years old! Nevertheless he was still only one inventor among many, albeit better funded than most. However his greatest achievement was to turn an idea for communi- cating with ships and perhaps supplementing tele- graphic cable networks into a successful world wide communication medium which later formed the basis of the wireless entertainment industry. The book details his struggle to achieve this against formidable competi- tion from Germany and America and makes clear his tremendous character assets. Despite his youth and lack of theoretical training he was clearly an energetic and successful experimentalist but, unlike many inventors, had a pleasant personality, strong powers of leadership and a flair for publicity which enabled him to lead a technical/management team far older than himself and create major companies. For while most of his work was on the bread and butter ship to shore signalling, his vision was transatlantic wireless and, for this pur- pose, in 1901 he put £50,000 into the project and an- nounced initial success on 15 December with immense publicity. However, there were formidable technical problems to be overcome and it was 6 years before it was fully commercial. Despite his lack of theoretical background his achievement led to his joint award of the 1909 Nobel Prize for physics. His speech was highly technical but, even then, he was frank in explaining that he did not understand how his signals crossed the Atlantic though he discussed various theories. The book not only covers Marconi’s life but also the many other individuals and events which led up to the full development of wireless by the 1920s. It is thus of fascinat- ing general interest to enthusiasts for technological history, but assumes a minimum of technical knowledge. In this context the bitter patent battles which raged over 50 years get little mention but these are better covered elsewhere. An excellent read! Brian Spear 36 Starling Close, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, IG9 5TN, UK E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2006.09.001 www.elsevier.com/locate/worpatin World Patent Information 29 (2007) 68
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Transcript of Gavin Weightman, ,Signor Marconi’s Magic Box (2003) HarperCollins publishers,London 0 00 713005 8...
www.elsevier.com/locate/worpatin
World Patent Information 29 (2007) 68
Book review
Signor Marconi’s Magic Box, Gavin Weightman. Harper-
Collins publishers, London (2003). 312 pages, including 16
pages of photos and an extensive index. Hardback, £15.99,ISBN: 0 00 713005 8
Patent professionals deal continuously with inventorsand their patents but only occasionally with the tiny minor-ity who turn their inventions into successful innovation, i.e.products on the market place. As 2007 is the 100th anniver-sary of the achievement of fully operational transatlanticwireless service Weightman’s book is now a timely remin-der of the life of Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937), one ofthe 20th century’s most successful innovators.
Marconi did not invent wireless. It had been mathemat-ically predicted by Maxwell in 1865 and several people laterfound that wireless signals were induced over short dis-tances between parallel wires. However, it was HeinrichHerz who showed that wireless signals could be deliberatelysent to a receiver in 1888 and he later succeeded in trans-mitting signals round his laboratory. The publicity causedby his early death in 1894 inspired inventors round theworld to improve on this. Marconi was raised in someaffluence in Italy with an Italian father and Irish motherbut seems to have had little formal education. However,his family had a well stocked technical library and, inspiredby books on Faraday and Franklin, he began studying sci-ence and electricity from his early teens. In 1894 he beganhis own experiments on radio and by 1896 had transmittedto receivers up to a mile away. He then came to London todevelop his hardware. His relations (who owned an Irishwhisky company) introduced him to Preece, head of theUK Post Office, and Marconi soon gave a successful publicdemonstration of his ‘‘magic box’’. The favourable public-ity caused the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company tobe formed in 1897 most of whose investors were his rela-tions and their business associates. Of the initial £100,000capital subscribed £15,000 (worth around 100 times asmuch now) was allocated to buy Marconi’s patent portfo-lio which he spent much time and money assembling. Atthis point he was only 23 years old!
Nevertheless he was still only one inventor amongmany, albeit better funded than most. However his
doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2006.09.001
greatest achievement was to turn an idea for communi-cating with ships and perhaps supplementing tele-graphic cable networks into a successful world widecommunication medium which later formed the basisof the wireless entertainment industry. The book detailshis struggle to achieve this against formidable competi-tion from Germany and America and makes clear histremendous character assets. Despite his youth and lackof theoretical training he was clearly an energetic andsuccessful experimentalist but, unlike many inventors,had a pleasant personality, strong powers of leadershipand a flair for publicity which enabled him to lead atechnical/management team far older than himself andcreate major companies. For while most of his workwas on the bread and butter ship to shore signalling,his vision was transatlantic wireless and, for this pur-pose, in 1901 he put £50,000 into the project and an-nounced initial success on 15 December with immensepublicity. However, there were formidable technicalproblems to be overcome and it was 6 years beforeit was fully commercial. Despite his lack of theoreticalbackground his achievement led to his joint award ofthe 1909 Nobel Prize for physics. His speech washighly technical but, even then, he was frank inexplaining that he did not understand how his signalscrossed the Atlantic though he discussed varioustheories.
The book not only covers Marconi’s life but also themany other individuals and events which led up to the fulldevelopment of wireless by the 1920s. It is thus of fascinat-ing general interest to enthusiasts for technological history,but assumes a minimum of technical knowledge. In thiscontext the bitter patent battles which raged over 50 yearsget little mention but these are better covered elsewhere. Anexcellent read!
Brian Spear36 Starling Close,
Buckhurst Hill,
Essex, IG9 5TN,
UK
E-mail address: [email protected]
