From Edison to Eddie: Interesting and Amusing Essays from the Recording Media Veteran (book)




A great 150 page book of reprinted essays originally sent out as part of a company newsletter. The author, Jerry Ghinelli, was Maxell Corporation of America's Marketing and Product Manager for its consumer product division for 9 years before becoming President of Total Media, Inc.

For audio and video enthusiasts and historians this collection of essays is a goldmine of fascinating insights about the history of the development and marketing of audio and video recording devices and recordable media. This book highlights how little twists of fate have often intervened in the evolution of these products. These twists of fate have changed the course of history of what many have taken for granted in using these products.

In addition to focusing on these aspects, several of the essays also deal with the impact which Nixon's secret White House tape recordings played in the Watergate investigation and how these tape recordings ended up changing the history of our country.

Additionally, several essays focus on the Crazy Eddie chain of electronic stores on the East Coast and how greed-- combined with poor and deceptive business practices-- ended up leading to the collapse of this large retail chain.

 

Finally, the author relates a personal account of his visit to the top of the World Trade Center to see the giant antenna and how the subsequent tragedy of 9/11 hit home to him in some very personal ways.

Having read this book myself I was amazed at the author's incredible and interesting insights not only about the evolution of these products and their history but also about the sociological, criminological, and moral implications of these products.

By sheer coincidence I happened to be reading another book at the same time called "The Five Thousand Year Leap" by W. Cleon Skousen. I couldn't help but see how these two books seemed to substantiate each other. The book "The Five Thousand Year Leap" discusses how the U.S. Constitution (by establishing a government based upon liberty, morality, free-enterprise and understanding human nature's lust for power-- and implementing Constitutional measures to control it) allowed America the ability to progress technologically and economically more in 200 years than most civilizations progress in 5,000 years. The Edison to Eddie book-- although not a political book in any significant way-- shows the rapid development of technology in the audio and video electronics sectors of the economy and also highlights what happens when human nature and a lust for power or wealth intervene. Having read both of these books I find them to be interesting companion books in my personal library!


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