--- product_id: 29255274 title: "The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age" price: "202.61 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/29255274-the-network-the-battle-for-the-airwaves-and-the-birth store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age **Price:** 202.61 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age - **How much does it cost?** 202.61 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/29255274-the-network-the-battle-for-the-airwaves-and-the-birth) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The astonishing story of America’s airwaves, the two friends—one a media mogul, the other a famous inventor—who made them available to us, and the government which figured out how to put a price on air. This is the origin story of the airwaves—the foundational technology of the communications age—as told through the forty-year friendship of an entrepreneurial industrialist and a brilliant inventor. David Sarnoff, the head of RCA and equal parts Steve Jobs, Jack Welch, and William Randolph Hearst, was the greatest supporter of his friend Edwin Armstrong, developer of the first amplifier, the modern radio transmitter, and FM radio. Sarnoff was convinced that Armstrong’s inventions had the power to change the way societies communicated with each other forever. He would become a visionary captain of the media industry, even predicting the advent of the Internet. In the mid-1930s, however, when Armstrong suspected Sarnoff of orchestrating a cadre of government officials to seize control of the FM airwaves, he committed suicide. Sarnoff had a very different view of who his friend’s enemies were. Many corrupt politicians and corporations saw in Armstrong’s inventions the opportunity to commodify our most ubiquitous natural resource—the air. This early alliance between high tech and business set the precedent for countless legal and industrial battles over broadband and licensing bandwidth, many of which continue to influence policy and debate today. Review: I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the history ... - I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the history of radio, a topic I previously knew almost nothing about. The author wrote in an engaging manner making the book hard to put down. I have taken the train down the Hudson River hundreds of times and seen the Armstrong tower looming over the Palisades. Not knowing what it was I always thought it was a eyesore. Now that I know the history behind that tower and the important place it has in our technological development I have a new appreciation for it. It's not an ugly tower but an important piece of history that I am lucky enough to see. Marconi, Sarnoff, and Armstrong are some of the most important figures of the 20th century and I'm glad that this book introduced them to me. Review: Great Topic, Engrossing! - Great topic and an engrossing narrative! Hey, I'm an electrical engineer, so I like this kind of stuff. I appreciate the author's hard work in creating a fascinating narrative describing the early history of wireless communication. I would have given this book five stars except for a few shortcomings that I think are fixable. I shall list those here: (1) Obviously the author is not an electrical engineer. This is evident by the strange, puzzling descriptions he gives of technical concepts. For example, this head scratcher is from location 187 of the Kindle edition: "[Armstrong] built a device that made it easy for a radio transmitter to summon the invisible waves." My best guess here is that this refers to some sort of electronic oscillator, but I honestly can't tell for sure. Clear, concise, correct high-level descriptions of the various technical concepts mentioned -- descriptions that use standard terms correctly and are reasonably comprehensible to the lay public -- ARE possible. The author ought to work with a sympathetic electrical engineer to get the phrasing right. (2) The non-chronological presentation is a great way to keep the reader's interest: First, a scene with tension and conflict is presented; then (with the reader's interest piqued and before the resolution is presented) the history leading up to that scene is presented. But in the early chapters, in particular, this gets confusing at times. On a re-read, everything seems to make sense. But it would be better if things were clear the first time through, so some rewriting might be needed to effect this. (3) The book has a lot of typos and other editorial errors. These are the errors I noted in today's reading session as I finished the book (Kindle edition): Location 1938: "[And] endless parade of witnesses followed ..." -> "[An] endless ..." Location 2172: "... which could [only] afford to produce only low-budget dreck" -> "... which could afford to produce only ..." Location 2594: "... what could have been [in] the two friends had remained allies." -> "... what could have been [if] the two friends had remained allies." Location 2847: "Johnson had assembled what the [the] New York Times described ..." -> "Johnson had assembled what the New York Times described ..." Location 3275: "With AT&T [was] focused on MCI’s antitrust lawsuit, ..." -> "With AT&T focused on MCI’s antitrust lawsuit, ..." Location 3370: "... began challenge the web of expensive telegraph cables ..." -> "... began [to] challenge the web of expensive telegraph cables ..." There were a lot of errors before location 1938, too. I had observed them in earlier reading sessions, but neglected to note them. The author's discovery of Sarnoff's 1965 speech is a wonderful contribution to the history of technology. I was interested in seeing the original transcript of Sarnoff's speech, but had no luck locating it via Google. The author refers the reader to his evolving web site, battlefortheairwaves.com, for source materials, but neither that speech nor much of anything else was at that site. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,236,069 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #287 in Entertainment Industry #334 in Radio Communications #336 in Radio Operation | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 571 Reviews | ## Images ![The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SEmMOOQxL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the history ... *by K***G on June 2, 2017* I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the history of radio, a topic I previously knew almost nothing about. The author wrote in an engaging manner making the book hard to put down. I have taken the train down the Hudson River hundreds of times and seen the Armstrong tower looming over the Palisades. Not knowing what it was I always thought it was a eyesore. Now that I know the history behind that tower and the important place it has in our technological development I have a new appreciation for it. It's not an ugly tower but an important piece of history that I am lucky enough to see. Marconi, Sarnoff, and Armstrong are some of the most important figures of the 20th century and I'm glad that this book introduced them to me. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Topic, Engrossing! *by M***Y on September 15, 2016* Great topic and an engrossing narrative! Hey, I'm an electrical engineer, so I like this kind of stuff. I appreciate the author's hard work in creating a fascinating narrative describing the early history of wireless communication. I would have given this book five stars except for a few shortcomings that I think are fixable. I shall list those here: (1) Obviously the author is not an electrical engineer. This is evident by the strange, puzzling descriptions he gives of technical concepts. For example, this head scratcher is from location 187 of the Kindle edition: "[Armstrong] built a device that made it easy for a radio transmitter to summon the invisible waves." My best guess here is that this refers to some sort of electronic oscillator, but I honestly can't tell for sure. Clear, concise, correct high-level descriptions of the various technical concepts mentioned -- descriptions that use standard terms correctly and are reasonably comprehensible to the lay public -- ARE possible. The author ought to work with a sympathetic electrical engineer to get the phrasing right. (2) The non-chronological presentation is a great way to keep the reader's interest: First, a scene with tension and conflict is presented; then (with the reader's interest piqued and before the resolution is presented) the history leading up to that scene is presented. But in the early chapters, in particular, this gets confusing at times. On a re-read, everything seems to make sense. But it would be better if things were clear the first time through, so some rewriting might be needed to effect this. (3) The book has a lot of typos and other editorial errors. These are the errors I noted in today's reading session as I finished the book (Kindle edition): Location 1938: "[And] endless parade of witnesses followed ..." -> "[An] endless ..." Location 2172: "... which could [only] afford to produce only low-budget dreck" -> "... which could afford to produce only ..." Location 2594: "... what could have been [in] the two friends had remained allies." -> "... what could have been [if] the two friends had remained allies." Location 2847: "Johnson had assembled what the [the] New York Times described ..." -> "Johnson had assembled what the New York Times described ..." Location 3275: "With AT&T [was] focused on MCI’s antitrust lawsuit, ..." -> "With AT&T focused on MCI’s antitrust lawsuit, ..." Location 3370: "... began challenge the web of expensive telegraph cables ..." -> "... began [to] challenge the web of expensive telegraph cables ..." There were a lot of errors before location 1938, too. I had observed them in earlier reading sessions, but neglected to note them. The author's discovery of Sarnoff's 1965 speech is a wonderful contribution to the history of technology. I was interested in seeing the original transcript of Sarnoff's speech, but had no luck locating it via Google. The author refers the reader to his evolving web site, battlefortheairwaves.com, for source materials, but neither that speech nor much of anything else was at that site. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great tale of invention *by D***N on December 27, 2017* A few simple thoughts: This book is mostly centered around David Sarnoff, with characters such as Edward Armstrong, LBJ, and other FCC dimwits making cameos throughout. The story is told is a very readable and digestible way - perhaps a little light on the technical details, but where it lacks there, it makes up for the strength of the story it tells. It touches on many of the major inventions that Sarnoff was involved with and the various challenges that were faced in developing and popularizing each one. You get a true idea of the personalities involved in each part which helps make this book a historical account with great characters. Also you get to see that the FCC has always been an inept, unprepared, and corrupt organization that harms the American people more than it helps. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/29255274-the-network-the-battle-for-the-airwaves-and-the-birth](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/29255274-the-network-the-battle-for-the-airwaves-and-the-birth) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-08-26*