History of Telegraphy

Book excerpt: Beauchamp (1923-99, retired from the U. of Lancaster, UK) devotes the first half of the book to terrestrial telegraphy, from the beginnings of communication with mechanical signaling to the electrical system using Morse code, including a large chapter on the laying of submarine cables across the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. The second half, on aerial telegraphy, discusses its beginnings with Marconi and its use on board ships and aircraft in both world wars. Dozens of maps show routes of telegraph cable and figures depict old telegraph equipment. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.