Post by Starkton on Mar 18, 2011 15:34:51 GMT -6
Again, René Rondeau had a good hand to edit a nice selection of fascinating and well researched articles from all areas of our hobby - or better, passion.
Edison’s laboratory notes are nearly always dated exactly to the day, to provide for evidence in lawsuits. Researchers use these dates and rely on them. In the first part of his article Patrick Feaster demonstrates convincingly that many dates are far from being reliable. This makes him question the famous laboratory note of July 18, 1877 which commonly marks the day on which Edison invented the phonograph. Follow Patrick through his detective work in "A New Take on Edison’s First Playback of Sound“, at the end of which waits a pot of gold in the shape of an, so far, unnoticed even earlier document.
Shawn O’Rourke presents the coin operated Columbia AS, introduced in 1898, in the fifth article in a richly illustrated series on these rare and always high in demand breed of phonographs, explaining in detail how they work. Shawn has restored and examined many machines over the years and knows every detail. After reading his article you are firmly convinced to really understand the structure and function of the Columbia AS.
Next comes the third part of a detailed survey about the development of Emile Berliner’s Gramophone to a marketable product. Read about early demonstrations in Berlin before a handful of paying visitors, and the founding of the first Gramophone company worldwide. The portrayal of a completely unknown Gramophone model which served as a pattern for the subsequent mass production is a particular highlight. Pictures of this study model and also of the workmen who manufactured it in Joseph Berliner’s Hanoverian telephone factory in early 1890 are provided for the first time.
Rudolph Valentino’s Brunswick Panatrope is the finest example of Brunswick cabinetry you could imagine. Robert Baumbach is privileged to examine this lovely machine, distinguished by beautiful marquetry, done in exotic woods. Indeed "A Phonograph Fit for a Sheik“. The sudden longing to see the showside in full colour is immediately satisfied by a the large-size image on the backcover. That we owe to René’s far-sightedness.
George F. Paul traces the life and work of Peter Weber. Although Weber's designs and inventions are to be found in virtually every collection of pre-1915 talking machines, the man responsible for this is almost forgotten. Born in 1860 in Germany, Weber came alone to the United States at age sixteen, unable to speak English. From 1884 he began working at the Edison Machine Works and subsequently moved up the career ladder because of his unlimited talents. Peter Weber approved the designs of all Edison-manufactured items, before he finally left the Edison universe!
Urban archeologist Allen Koenigsberg leaves no stone unturned to collect bits and pieces for his newest stories. A handful of "mousy" tickets illustrating his article inspired Allen to unfold a bouquet of little stories about early phonograph exhibitors and others, involved in the talking machine craze around or before 1900. Allen's creativity and persistence not stop short of his standard work on Edison cylinder records; in the second part of "Musings, Updates, and Ramblings" 40 years of filling the data gaps are summarized.
The Sound Box closes with a note of John Levin that part 2 of "Recorded Incunabula" was just posted on the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project (CPDP) site.
Starkton
Here is a link: www.ca-phono.org/sound_box.html
Edison’s laboratory notes are nearly always dated exactly to the day, to provide for evidence in lawsuits. Researchers use these dates and rely on them. In the first part of his article Patrick Feaster demonstrates convincingly that many dates are far from being reliable. This makes him question the famous laboratory note of July 18, 1877 which commonly marks the day on which Edison invented the phonograph. Follow Patrick through his detective work in "A New Take on Edison’s First Playback of Sound“, at the end of which waits a pot of gold in the shape of an, so far, unnoticed even earlier document.
Shawn O’Rourke presents the coin operated Columbia AS, introduced in 1898, in the fifth article in a richly illustrated series on these rare and always high in demand breed of phonographs, explaining in detail how they work. Shawn has restored and examined many machines over the years and knows every detail. After reading his article you are firmly convinced to really understand the structure and function of the Columbia AS.
Next comes the third part of a detailed survey about the development of Emile Berliner’s Gramophone to a marketable product. Read about early demonstrations in Berlin before a handful of paying visitors, and the founding of the first Gramophone company worldwide. The portrayal of a completely unknown Gramophone model which served as a pattern for the subsequent mass production is a particular highlight. Pictures of this study model and also of the workmen who manufactured it in Joseph Berliner’s Hanoverian telephone factory in early 1890 are provided for the first time.
Rudolph Valentino’s Brunswick Panatrope is the finest example of Brunswick cabinetry you could imagine. Robert Baumbach is privileged to examine this lovely machine, distinguished by beautiful marquetry, done in exotic woods. Indeed "A Phonograph Fit for a Sheik“. The sudden longing to see the showside in full colour is immediately satisfied by a the large-size image on the backcover. That we owe to René’s far-sightedness.
George F. Paul traces the life and work of Peter Weber. Although Weber's designs and inventions are to be found in virtually every collection of pre-1915 talking machines, the man responsible for this is almost forgotten. Born in 1860 in Germany, Weber came alone to the United States at age sixteen, unable to speak English. From 1884 he began working at the Edison Machine Works and subsequently moved up the career ladder because of his unlimited talents. Peter Weber approved the designs of all Edison-manufactured items, before he finally left the Edison universe!
Urban archeologist Allen Koenigsberg leaves no stone unturned to collect bits and pieces for his newest stories. A handful of "mousy" tickets illustrating his article inspired Allen to unfold a bouquet of little stories about early phonograph exhibitors and others, involved in the talking machine craze around or before 1900. Allen's creativity and persistence not stop short of his standard work on Edison cylinder records; in the second part of "Musings, Updates, and Ramblings" 40 years of filling the data gaps are summarized.
The Sound Box closes with a note of John Levin that part 2 of "Recorded Incunabula" was just posted on the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project (CPDP) site.
Starkton
Here is a link: www.ca-phono.org/sound_box.html