The Victorian Internet

My grandmother, born 1885, was widowed during WW1 and obtained employment with Queensland Railways as a telegraphist, one of only two female telegraphists in that organization.

She was allowed to keep her position during the depression and worked till I guess 1950 when she retired. I certainly remember her as being pretty slick on the morse key.

Maybe she was lucky, the railway system, like the rest of Australia moved away from Mr Morse's system into teleprinter systems and the rest is history as they say.

So it was with some pleasure I received from one of my daughters, a book with which I could readily associate, by Tom Stannage, The Victorian Internet. First published 1998 by Walker & Company. (This was a paperback published 2007), Typeset by Coghill Composition Company, Printed in the USA by Quebecor World Fairfield, but strangely, posted from Switerzland.

Living in the internet age, it is fairly easy to relate to the development of telegraph networks, the desire for control, and its uses and abuses. A throughly enjoyable read for me.

And just in case one day you can put your IPhone or Android equivalent up to a screen to get the ebook paperback equivalent, here is the barcode for the ISBN