Making Connections: Communication Through the Ages
Author(s): Charles T. Meadow (Author)
Publisher: Scarecrow Press (UK)
Publication Date: 11 Feb. 2002
Language: English
Print length: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0810842343
ISBN-13: 9780810842342
Book Description
Meadow takes us on a Cooks tour of communication technologies across time_the alphabet and moveable type printing, cave drawings and carrier pigeons, telephones, television and, of course, the Internet. In each case, Meadow shows how these (and other devices) are connected to each other, even as they serve to make connections between people. Part One discusses the basics of communications, while Part Two delves into telecommunications before the days of steam and electricity. Part Three offers insight into steam, electricity, and internal combustion energy and how they revolutionized society. Communication is the key to a productive world. For those dazzled by the pace of change in the technology or McLuhans unorthodox but brilliant insights, Meadows casual style and pace provide the perfect antidote.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Accessible to, and recommended for, undergraduates, students at technical colleges, and general readers.
Meadows manages to make communications technology interesting again by making the reader see it from a new lens…As a solid introduction to the history of communication technology, this work is strongly recommended for academic and public libraries.
Meadow, a University of Toronto professor emeritus of information studies, is well qualified to explore communications topics…Communication has characterized human experience from ancient time to the present. Thus, its history is a fascinating story to follow. Making Connections emphasizes this point by highlighting the development of a wide array of communication technologies over time.
Writing in a casual style for nonspecialists, Meadow covers the basics of each technology, showing how it was invented, how it works, and the effect it has had on society.
…a well-written, thoughtful, and richly documented summary of the history of human communication.
About the Author
Charles T. Meadow is Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto. He is the author of Ink into Bits: A Web of Converging Media (2002) and Messages, Meaning and Symbols: The Communication of Information (2006), both published by Scarecrow.
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