The Victorian Internet Book Summary

In 'The Victorian Internet,' Tom Standage unveils the startling parallels between the 19th-century telegraph and today's internet. He explores how this revolutionary communication tool reshaped society, fostering global connections and spurring the exchange of ideas. Standage paints vivid portraits of early adopters and skeptics alike, capturing the excitement and anxiety surrounding this new technology. The book delves into the cultural impact of instantaneous communication and its role in shaping modernity. With engaging anecdotes and insightful analysis, readers are invited to reflect on how far we've come—and how history may repeat itself.

By Tom Standage

Published: 2014

"The telegraph is the first glimpse we have of a technology that allows for instantaneous communication over vast distances, an invisible thread connecting minds across time and space."

Book Review of The Victorian Internet

A new paperback edition of the first book by the bestselling author of A History of the World in 6 Glasses-the fascinating story of the telegraph, the world's first "Internet," which revolutionized the nineteenth century even more than the Internet has the twentieth and twenty first.

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The telegraph is the first glimpse we have of a technology that allows for instantaneous communication over vast distances, an invisible thread connecting minds across time and space.

The Victorian Internet

By Tom Standage