Just finished Anthony Rudel's Hello, Everybody!: The Dawn of American Radio, a fascinating history of the rise of radio in the '20s and '30s. Rudel uses the stories of a variety of individuals (quacks, bureaucrats, entertainers, politicians, announcers, and authentic visionaries) to depict the free-for-all that early radio, in both the technological and entrepreneurial realms, really was.
The parallels of radio's rapid dominance of the American cultural scene with the more recent i-revolution are apparent throughout, but what sells the book are the stories of the likes of Rudy Vallee, Herbert Hoover, Fr. Charles Coughlin, and "Doctor" John R. Brinkley. Whatever most of us know of any of them will be deeply enriched by Rudel's clear presentation of their stories.
Well researched and plotted, this book is quite a nice read.
Delighted to read that you enjoyed the boo; it never gets boring to hear from happy readers. I'd be delighted to chat about the book on your show and/or at Central Conn. Let me hear from you, and yes Graham McNamee is a great name. Anthony Rudel (Anthonyrudel.com) rudela@mville.edu
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