Feedback May 2002 (Vol 43 No 2)

EDITGodfrey, G. Donald (2001) Philo T. Farnsworth The Father of Television.Salt Lake City, Utah: The University of Utah Press.Godfrey’s Philo Farnsworth The Father of Television is a clearly written and powerfulcontribution to our understanding of this complex man and his importance inbroadcasting history. Godfrey is a scholar and an exceptional storyteller. This welldocumented book “presents the history of the man and the corporations carrying hisname” (viii) and justifies Farnsworth as the true father of modern television. Historymust credit Farnsworth with the first general public demonstration of an all-electronictelevision system on August 25, l934. RCA’s key demonstration was at the l939-l940New York World’s Fair. Godfrey notes: “(h)ad the Farnsworth Television and RadioCorporation chosen to participate in the l939-l940 New York World’s Fair, televisionhistory may have been written a little differently.” (121). This historical biographyunderscores the innate genius of Farnsworth and his inexhaustible journey to develop atelevision system. Farnsworth is credited with more than l30 television patents datingfrom l927 with a “television system”. Farnsworth’s successes and failures are oftenmatters of timing. His search for funding and supportive colleagues and entrepreneursfrequently failed or were short-lived. Early broadcast inventors and corporations werehell-bent to block or borrow from Farnsworth’s technology portfolio. There is sadnessabout Farnsworth’s story as Godfrey examines the tests faced in this inventors personaland professional life. For example, Chapter 4 “Farnsworth versus RCA” documentsone of many struggles he faced in dealing with the rights of patents. The discussionconcerning the Zworykin issues is quite cogent. The book has nine solid and completechapters detailing Farnsworth’s life beginning in l906 until his death. . .Philo Farnsworth The Father of Television is supported with an excellent bibliographyand a fine appendix section. This will appeal to the researcher or general reader seekingadditional information on Farnsworth and his contributions.Donald G. Godfrey’s historical and critical study has energized our knowledge ofthis broadcast pioneer and his place of honor in broadcasting history.Farnsworth died on March ll, l97l.Reviewed by Charles Feldman. Monmouth College (Illinois), cfeldman@monm.eduBEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 59