Previously published in Vol. 108, No. 12, December 2020 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE

Edwin Grosvenor, the great grandson of Alexander Graham Bell, is editor-in-chief of American Heritage and a staunch defender of Bell’s reputation.  In a book review of The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell’s Secret (Norton & Co.), the authors refute the claim that Bell stole the key idea behind the invention of the telephone.

Written by a physicist for his adult grandchildren, this little book explains the basic concepts. Three early discoveries in electricity & magnetism led directly to the telegraph, telephone, and radio, respectively. Their mysteries are described here without math, and only the bare essentials are covered; the rest is just details. Inexpensive print copies are available from Amazon.

In a new book, Bell Telephone System's Preeminent Role in the Growth of Industrial Design, Ralph 0. Meyer and Russell A. Flinchum chronicle the role of the Bell System in the emergence of industrial design as a discipline and compare their telephones with many others. In this article, Meyer sheds light on two of Pratt lnstitute's connections to that story.

One of the top industrial design programs in the world, the Pratt Institute had two alumni with major telephone connections.  Arthur Shilstone who painted the Holiday greeting card with the MJR railroad train at the Hawthorne works, and Donald Genaro who designed the Trimline and other Bell telephones.

Size-reduced copy. 204 pages. by Ralph O. Meyer Russell A. Flinchum. Contributed by Ralph Meyer.

A print edition may be ordered from the publisher:
https://www.press.purdue.edu/9781626711099/

Histories of design pay scant attention to the corded telephone, which played an immeasurable role in early communication. Although the Bell System, with many Nobel Prizes, is justly acknowledged for its technical prowess, it should also be recognized for its early and considerable impact on the developing discipline of industrial design. In 1930, young Henry Dreyfuss, who would later become known as a pioneer of industrial design, was retained by the Bell System as a design consultant and matured in that environment. With substantial input from Bell System engineers, Dreyfuss and his staff produced attractive telephone designs that were manufactured and installed in more than one hundred million American homes and copied around the world.

Featuring over one hundred illustrations, Bell Telephone System’s Preeminent Role in the Growth of Industrial Design is a deep dive into the development and evolution of the corded telephone. A detailed case study of an object that would become so ubiquitous and commonplace, it is also the story writ large of the establishment and importance of the field of industrial design.

A print edition may be ordered from the publisher:
https://www.press.purdue.edu/9781626711099/

Histories of design pay scant attention to the corded telephone, which played an immeasurable role in early communication. Although the Bell System, with many Nobel Prizes, is justly acknowledged for its technical prowess, it should also be recognized for its early and considerable impact on the developing discipline of industrial design. In 1930, young Henry Dreyfuss, who would later become known as a pioneer of industrial design, was retained by the Bell System as a design consultant and matured in that environment. With substantial input from Bell System engineers, Dreyfuss and his staff produced attractive telephone designs that were manufactured and installed in more than one hundred million American homes and copied around the world. 

Featuring over one hundred illustrations, Bell Telephone System’s Preeminent Role in the Growth of Industrial Design is a deep dive into the development and evolution of the corded telephone. A detailed case study of an object that would become so ubiquitous and commonplace, it is also the story writ large of the establishment and importance of the field of industrial design.

First published in 1995, this book has become a collector’s favorite.  From Alexander Graham Bell to the push-button Trimline telephone, detailed coverage is given to history, design, technology, and restoration. 

 The 3rd Edition includes many updates, based on comments on the 2nd edition and on additional research done by the author while preparing other articles on telephone history. Revision history is available from the author: http://pws.goeaston.net/oldtimetelephones

The eBook version is in a searchable PDF file, so no index is needed. This TCI version adds chapter-level bookmarks. It may be read on a computer or tablet, with the ability to zoom in on details of photos or diagrams. Portions may be printed as desired. Printed copies are available from oldphoneshop.com.

Background on the book, author and other related resources including Telephony 101 (discussions based on the second edition), a Collector's Edition and Tech Corner for non-engineers (article series) are available on the TCI Site here:
   https://www.telephonecollectors.org/OldTimeTelephones.htm

Contributed by Ralph Meyer.

See also the previous article, The ASCII Character ‘Octatherp’ (Singing Wires, May 2008), by Douglas Kerr.