America on Record: A History of Recorded Sound

by Andre Millard

Overview

In 1877 Thomas Edison dreamed that one day there would be a talking machine in every home, but even his legendary vision could not have foreseen the way that recorded sound would pervade modern life. From the first thin sheet of tinfoil that was manipulated into retaining sound to the home recordings of rappers in the 1980s and the high-tech studios of the 1990s, this book examines the important technical developments of acoustic, electric, and digital sound reproduction while outlining the cultural impact of recorded music and movies. This second edition highlights the digital revolution of sound recording. First Edition Hb (1995) 0-521-47544-9 First Edition Pb (1995) 0-521-47556-2

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521542814
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/05/2005
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	474
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Andre Millard is Director of American Studies and Professor of History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author of Edison and the Business of Innovation and a contributor to National Public Radio's 'Lost and Found Sound'.

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; Part I. The Acoustic Era: 1. The inventors; 2. A phonograph in every home; 3. The international industry of recorded sound; 4. The music; 5. Recorded sound in the Jazz Age; Part II. The Electrical Era: 6. The machines; 7. Competing technologies; 8. Empires of sound; 9. Swing and the mass audience; 10. High fidelity at last; 11. Rock'n'roll and the revolution in music; 12. The record; 13. The studio; 14. Perfecting studio recording; 15. The cassette culture; Part III. The Digital Era: 16. The media conglomerates; 17. Into the digital era; 18. Consolidation and connectivity in the digital era.

Editorial Reviews

"...[a] fine nontechnical, general introduction to the development of recorded sound...Recommended for public and academic libraries at all levels." Choice

From the Publisher