The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The Making of America.

Here's a link to the phonograph video.

There are some errors in the various stories, which is pretty much expected today. But I wince when I see that Bergmann Exhibition tinfoil (at the Ford Museum's Menlo Park recreation) being demonstrated like that. I have tinkered with their machine many times over the years (with permission of their senior conservator) and have made superb recordings. But it is constantly going out of adjustment and they regularly demonstrate it with dismal, inaudible results. While I'm glad to see public demonstrations of an original tinfoil, it pains me to realize that people are going away thinking that this is how tinfoil phonographs sounded -- shouting into a horn at full strength, and playing back something muddy and faint.

That's an exhibition machine; it was (and still is) capable of reproducing with enough loudness and clarity to fill an auditorium. I proved that myself at Stanford University 5 years ago before an audience of 200 people.

Thanks for the tip Rene. Went out and got a copy last night.

Rene, What page is the article? I checked out the latest Time, and saw no such article. Maybe I was looking in the wrong section.
Harvey Kravitz

Its a TIME special edition "Thomas Edison - His Electrifying Life" - the whole magazine is dedicated to Edison and his major inventions. It can be found at the checkout line of most chain grocery stores this week.

It is about 100 pages, full color, very high quality print. On page 49 there is a photo of a Edison Talking Doll - owned by a fellow TMF member.

Cover scan per several requests:

My wife picked up a copy for me this morning, which I finally got to sit down and start reading tonight. I'm wincing.... There are so many errors that it's downright painful. I sure wish they had hired someone like Paul Israel to proof it.

I could fill several pages with the mistakes I found in just 15 minutes of reading, but I'll just turn to the caption on the first page, following the publication credits -- the very first actual text: "Edison speaks into the recording tube of a graphophone, a dictation device based on the phonograph."

It goes downhill from there. I can't even say that at least the pictures are great. They are well-printed, with fine detail, but an Edison Standard topworks sitting in a Tupperware container (?) represented as a tinfoil phonograph? Edison Home with spun aluminum European horn? Class M in some oddball fancy custom cabinet? Kammer & Reinhardt with the horn pointing the wrong way? I mean, seriously, this is the best they could come up with?

What a shame.

And these are the same people we trust to get our news...?

George P.

I finally got a copy. In my area, they were pretty tough to get. I checked the supermarket chains in my area, but no luck. I finally found it a Barnes & Noble. I saw the errors the other poster were talking about. I really cracked up laughing when I saw the Edison Standard on the Tupperware box. I have one question: Is the Class M in the fancy case legitimate or a mock-up? Does anyone think it was a special order one? It looks good, but I really don't know.
Harvey Kravitz