Weird Radio: A Collection of Spy Transmissions, Unidentified Stations, and other Mysteries of the Airwaves Kindle Edition

Book Review Written July 30, 2019Weird Radio: A Collection of Spy Transmissions, Unidentified Stations, and other Mysteries of the Airwaves, By Charles River EditorsThis is a concise history of radio from its invention and first baby steps at the turn of the 20th Century, through its explosives growth in the 1920s, to its ubiquitous, almost unnoticed, background presence in todays world. It reveals a rich and varied wealth of interesting information including: radio's strange beginnings; its early adoption and rapid acceptance for use by the great military powers on the battlefields of the First World War; its dramatic boom during the post-war 1920s, providing the background music for the "Jazz Age"; the advent of radio's "Golden Age", with big band music, Father Coughlin, and Orson Wells production of HG Wells "War of the Worlds", as well as aiding Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party's rise to power in Germany; its use for propaganda and command/control for warfighting during World War Two (WW 2); radio in the post WW 2 and Cold War eras; the advent of Pirate Radio; and, the role of radio in the modern world. It includes a host of stories that will make this familiar medium seem a little less mundane and a great deal more interesting. It is supplemented by pictures of important people, places, and events, and includes an excellent bibliography to aid those readers seeking additional information.For more than a century, radio has been a part of people’s lives. In fact, no one alive today can remember a time when radio was not there, providing a familiar, reliable source of information and entertainment. Today, it may seems a bit mundane, overtaken by the Internet and satellite television. Even in the 1980s, the development of cable television (50 channels instead of five) and the start of MTV made radio seem quaint, and many once claimed, “Radio is dead.” It wasn't, of course. Radio remains popular today, with as many stations as ever, and it continues as a essential part of the world that takes it for granted. While not dead, its familiarity makes it seem a bit mundane, but people shouldn’t think of it that way. In fact, the airwaves have always been a place of mystery, a battleground of competing ideologies, and a source of anonymous voices. Radio has been used to support war efforts, topple governments, communicate secretly, and even attempt to communicate with the dead. These strange stories and more fill the pages of this interesting read.This book was professionally researched from numerous primary and secondary sources, written, and published by Charles River Editors. This publishing house has produced an extensive collection of thoroughly researched, concise, informative, and well written historical texts.This collection is focused on chronicling world history, including the lives and contributions of historically significant persons, the course of important events, and the actions of great nations and peoples. I have read a good number of their offerings and found each volume well written, researched, informative and presented with an unbiased perspective.This book delivers an interesting, straight forward account that is enjoyable to read and easy to comprehend. It is well researched and carefully documented for accuracy. The narrative is engaging and insightful, augmented throughout by contemporary accounts that are informative and interesting. I particularly enjoyed the author's accounting of the travesty of justice in the "Tokyo Rose" espionage case.This book provides a balanced, revealing narrative regarding radio's powerful impact and influence on the world's social, cultural, political, and economic developments for more than one hundred years. I liked this book and strongly recommend it. Readers, who enjoy history, or reading an interesting story will appreciate this book.

Until I read this book I thought there really WAS a radio personality called Tokyo Rose.Thanks to the miracle of the net you can still see & hear some of her broadcastsThe chapter on Number Stations filled in some information blanks and you can find broadcasts on line.Also, check out the movie-- The Number Station.

I had no idea that the radio is so alive. I built a short wave radio from a kit as a kid, but never really focused in it. Wish now I had. And finding that Tokyo Rose never really operated on line is a real disappointment.Pretty interesting!

I think the WWII Marine Navajo Code Talkers should have rated mention in a book like this! The author spends way too much time off topic. There is lengthy discussion of particular spies, with little about their use of radio. The one-sided attempt to sanitize the so called "Tokyo Rose" seems to go on for ever.

a mixed bunch of stories

interesting read

Libro diveretnete anche se dopo un po' la lettura diventa non entusiasmante