Title:

Man of High Fidelity

Author:

Lawrence Lessing

Publisher:

Bantam Books ( P 4483 3 )

International Standard Book Number: (ISBN)

Not listed in book

Library of Congress Card Number:

Not listed in book

I have to start this review by listing my frustration on two counts! First, this book appears to be out of print! Secondly, I was surprised and frustrated that I had not written a review of it long ago! It is a wonderful story for the "technologist", or anyone interested in the spirit of invention and those attributes that must accompany it! It also appears again and again in the spirit of our radio club!

I first came across the name of Edwin H. Armstrong when I was about eight years old while studying anything I could find on radio or becoming a "Ham" radio operator. Several years later I found this book which provides an excellent compendium of the inventor of "FM" frequency modulation, as well as the inventor of the "Regenerative", and "Super-Regenerative" radio receiver detectors. He is also the inventor of the "Super-Heterodyne" radio receiver. All of these technologies are still used today, and have not yet been supplanted for their fundamental genius!

Beyond Edwin Howard Armstrong though as merely another inventor, he was truly an amazing individual. One of those sort of folks that you might in jest refer to as being from another planet, as has been said about Einstein or Oppenheimer. Edwin Armstrong was a magnificent genius and a wonderful person. Even if you have only scant interest in the vagaries of his technical pursuits, I think after reading this book you will say, "that is a man I would like to have known"!

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