Wonderful and accurate
account of a murder case that caused a sensation at the time, but made even
more famous because its resolution was possible thanks to the use of a new
technology for the period: radiotelegraphy.
This is a very long
book that on the one hand tells us about the figure of Guglielmo Marconi from
his boyhood until his death, and on the other hand narrates the story of Dr.
Hawley Harvey Crippen and his wife. Behind the writing of this book is a huge research
work. The author, in fact, always tells the events as they happened, reporting
all the sources. Actually the last twenty percent of the book contains numerous
explanatory and bibliographical notes, where you can find confirmation of the
facts narrated.
I have to admit that up
to two thirds of the book I found the story of Marconi far more interesting,
which I didn’t know at all, while the life of Crippen and the persons
associated with him was pretty boring. In the last part, however, starting from
the disappearance of Cora I got caught by the narrative of the events and,
although I figured out how it would end (even though I hadn’t read the
description of the book), I was a bit sorry for poor Crippen.
But what really makes
this book wonderful is the genius of Marconi. Much of the technology that we
take for granted exist thanks to his perseverance, the maniacal way with which
he carried on his empirical experiments (he wasn’t a “real” scientist) and
thanks to the fact that this genius was in the hands (and mind) of a person who
had the opportunity to put it into practice.
If you love science and
technology, this is a book you must read.
Thunderstruck
on Amazon.
No comments:
Post a Comment