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CultureQuiet 9d · day 10

New Yorker Reviews Gleick's New History of the Telephone

Cal Revely-Calder appraises James Gleick's 'The Telephone: A New History,' tracing the device's dual legacy of intimacy and surveillance.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago5 pieces8 likes & upvotes1 comments MastodonNewswiresHacker News

What to know

  • The review uses the 1943 CBS radio drama 'Sorry, Wrong Number' to illustrate the telephone's capacity for both intimacy and entrapment.
  • Gleick's book traces over a century of telephone marketing — from AT&T's 1909 'civilization' ads to Nokia's 'Connecting People' — that framed the device as purely positive.
  • The review argues this upbeat narrative obscures a parallel history of control embedded in the technology.

“civilization . . . one of the most powerful influences for broadening human intelligence.”

A.T.&T., 1909 advertisement · New Yorker ↗ · Nov 1

James Gleick Author of 'The Telephone: A New History'Cal Revely-Calder New Yorker reviewerA.T.&T. (Ma Bell) Historical telephone monopoly, subject of the bookAgnes Moorehead Actress in the 1943 radio drama cited in the review

New Yorker Reviews Gleick's New History of the Telephone
newyorker.com

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Peak 3 pieces in 3h at Nov 2, 5 AM; 5 pieces over 10 days (3 articles · 2 posts) Nov 2, 5 AM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Mastodon 2, Newswires 1Nov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Nov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quietToday, 8 PM — quiet 1
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  1. background

    New Yorker reposts full single-page version of the review — The New Yorker republished the same review under a 'currentPage=all' single-page URL, marked as new on its feed.

  2. 1
    “the greatest single radio script ever written…”
    — Orson Welles, Actor, praising 'Sorry, Wrong Number' · source
    1. 1 outlet The Telephone's Tangled History of Intimacy and Control

      first by New Yorker, 9d ago