The Victorian Internet

Tom Standage first published his history of the telegraph about a year after the once-ubiquitous machine went out of service in 2006. Derek Perkins narrates this revised version with enthusiasm for the technology that shaped the 1800s as the parallels between the telegraph and the Internet are drawn. Standage packs in lots of factual information, blending it with anecdotes. Perhaps the best is the story of a telegraph wedding conducted in two cities to evade a father's objections. Perkins delivers these stories in a voice that has sufficient gravity but that also leaves room for drama and amusement. Even listeners who think they're not interested in the topic could find this audiobook surprisingly fascinating. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine