Conquering the Electron

The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age

By: Derek Cheung, Eric Brach

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Conquering the Electron offers listeners a true and engaging history of the world of electronics, beginning with the discoveries of static electricity and magnetism and ending with the creation of the smartphone and the iPad.

This book shows the interconnection of each advance to the next on the long journey to our modern-day technologies. Exploring the combination of genius, infighting, and luck that powered the creation of today's electronic age, Conquering the Electron debunks the hero worship so often plaguing the stories of great advances.

Want to know how AT&T's Bell Labs developed semiconductor technology - and how its leading scientists almost came to blows in the process? Want to understand how radio and television work - and why RCA drove their inventors to financial ruin and early graves? Conquering the Electron offers these stories and more, presenting each revolutionary technological advance right alongside blow-by-blow personal battles that all too often took place.

©2011 Derek Cheung and Eric Brach (P)2020 Tantor

absolutely amazing! one the best books ever!

absolutely amazing book and perfectly narrated! a subject that everyone should get closer to once so much of it affects our day to day life! wonderful!

Maybe the best insight I have gained from reading

As an electrical engineer in radar signal processing and image science. I can not think of a better entry level insight prior to college as to gain insight to high tech evolution. I should be embarrassed to not know all of this. Makes me feel like a modern baseball player that doesn’t know the history, Ty Cobb, hank Aaron, willie mays, Jackie Robinson, mickie and the duke.

Technical precision with human drama

I loved walking through the advancements of electrical and electronic innovations that drive our modern world. The human element behind these inventions that was intertwined so beautifully in this book made it that much more compelling.

If you are not interested in the technical detail involved with scientific advancements this book will certainly hold less interest to you as that makes up a large portion of the book; especially as the book advanced towards its later chapters.

The book also contains some statements that could be considered dramatization (claiming someone to be a “born leader” or making claims that scientific failures in someone’s life caused the decay of their personal lives). These moments can come off a little strange in the context of a scientific book presenting factual historical events.

However, overall I loved the book and look forward to referencing it again in the future.

A unbiased and enjoyable history of electronics

An insightful unbiased retelling of the history of electronics and modern computing. I will be re-listening in the future.

Great journey!

A wonderful story of the people, discoveries, technologies, and businesses involved in the harnessing of the electron.

The book was published in 2010. Normally that is too old for a technology book. But this is a history book and fascinating.

The True Side of Science

Application of Science toward the betterment of humankind suffers so many challenges, as the title suggests.

Rewind the modern technology back to hundred years, you can see a very faint beginning, like a tiny raindrop, laughable and very easy to be ignored. But persistence and vision are what shape itself into a big river with millions of individuals' hardships, sufferings, and injustice. Dark characters of bright, renowned but oppressive people, renowned labs and conflicts therein towards securing something secret or fights for honor, history of companies of modern day brand names, like Sony, Apple, Intel, Microsoft etc..reminds

"Behind every successful fortune there is a crime - Mario Puzo".

A well-balanced title describing the semblance among science, biographies of renowned scientists and businessmen, how things work, and competition, serendipities, power, struggle, and injustice.

Electron history

Excellent narration, alot of knowledge and acknowledge within. Very helpful to know the threey revolutions and the people behind the theories plus experimentations. Good explanation of patent wars, entrepreneurship, and biasing.

Electrical continuity

The book is a history lesson that illuminates how the "electron" should be viewed as a technological, scientific and cultural continuum. Each advance rides firmly on the backs of its predecessors.

The book blends fascinating explanations of complicated topics with sidelights into the personalities and rivalries of the main characters driving each advance.

Most enjoyable - thanks!

I was hoping to learn a little more about the evolution of electricity, electronics, and semiconductor technologies.
This book accomplish that very well.

In addition, the book was very entertaining, well written, and full of great personal stories of the characters in this important in history. Kind thanks for a fine book!

Overall, yes, five stars...

...altho with such a wide ranging book, is understandable some readers will find shortfalls.

The narration, as important as the story to a good audiobook, is clear, well paced and modulated, pleasant voiced.

Story begins as typical "stepping stone" recitation of discovery in magnetism and electricity. Entering the electronic age at end of 19th century, story broadens to include personalities of individuals and corporations. The separate steps of scientific and engineering advance through semiconductors, transistors, integrated circuits are well and thoroughly covered.

This book goes on my small list of re-listeners.