Russell Wright has written several books dealing with the chronology of transportation, labour and energy. In his latest chronology, published in December 2004, Wright speaks on the subject of communication, discussing the main catalysts for change over the years such as technology and electronic communication.
The chronology spans from January 22, 1673, the beginning of postal services in the colonies, to March 8, 2004, a push to market VoIP (voice over internet protocol, an internet telephone service). Wright points out in the introduction that he has chosen to concentrate the chronology on language and writing in the United States although he also includes pictures, signals, musical sounds, television and the internet. The introduction includes a lengthy discussion on communication before electricity, the telegraph, the telephone, movies and the phonograph, wireless communication, radio and television, satellite communications, fibre optics, cell phones and LEOs (low‐earth‐orbit satellites), personal computers, and the internet. He includes four appendices that discuss the technological aspects of communication including electronic communication, the cell‐phone explosion, radiotelegraphy and radiotelephony, and the move from transistors to integrated circuits to microprocessors.
The work would be ideal for those wanting a general idea of how communication in our society progressed. Wright provides a good general history of communication in the introduction and the appendices provide background information on communication technologies and how they have evolved. Entries within the chronology are lengthy, providing enough information to understand the event. One or two entries are only a paragraph long while most are several paragraphs or three‐quaters of a page. Wright's book would best suit a community college or academic library and can be used for undergraduate research.
