Antique talking machines are among today's hottest collectibles. Names like Edison and Victrola call to mind an era of polished wood, brightly-painted morning glory horns, and fascinating machinery. This revised and expanded second edition of The Talking Machine contains over 525 color photographs showing an incredible variety models, and including over 30 never before published photos. The authoritative text and up-to-date values complement the wealth of visuals, making this book a veritable library of information in one volume! Topping off this award-winning combination is a music CD featuring some of the rarest and most historically important recordings of all time. Hear the voice of explorer Ernest Shackleton describe his perilous expedition to the South Pole. Listen to a dramatic recreation of the San Francisco earthquake recorded mere months after the actual event. Enjoy two different recordings of the voice of the great inventor Thomas A. Edison.

Fads and fashions influenced the evolution of phonograph design in twentieth-century America, creating a vivid visual cavalcade. This beautiful volume is full of gleaming metal, glistening wood, pastel plastic, glowing dials, and fashionable fabrics. This is a story of developing style that stretches from the Victrola in the early 1900s to Quadraphonic sound of the 1970s. Yet the history of phonograph design is not just about eye-catching cabinetry, it is also the saga of our parents and grandparents, and the way they saw the world in which they lived. Through 340 color illustrations and detailed captions the development of phonograph design and sound reproduction is engagingly explored. All who are interested in phonograph collecting, design, art, music and twentieth-century social history will be fascinated by this book.

The antique phonograph is the center of a beautiful, brilliant, and sometimes bizarre universe of accessories. The commercial development of the phonograph, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, inspired a host of adjunct technology, from fancifully-painted flower horns to record storage disguised as furniture. Here are gadgets any snake oil salesman would be proud of - objects that claimed to make the phonograph louder, softer, improve the "tone," or remove the scratching of the needle. There are dazzling horns that call attention to the phonograph, or imposing cabinets that hide it completely. Each element of the talking machine, from its whirring spring motor to its polished woodwork, inspired bursts of inventive genius as brilliant and colorful as the nighttime sky on the Fourth of July. To aid the collector there is a guide to current values. Award winning authors Timothy C. Fabrizio and George F. Paul, in their sixth Schiffer book, take the reader on a lively tour of these utterly entertaining objects. The 555 color illustrations and engrossing captions introduce a multitude of artifacts not documented in the authors' previous works.

In this, their fifth collaboration, award-winning authors Timothy C. Fabrizio and George F. Paul examine the fascinating and collectible field of phonograph advertising. Whether pragmatic, inspirational, or merely avaricious, talking machine promotion assumed a variety of mantles during its first fifty years. Charming trade cards, brightly lithographed posters, flamboyant letterheads, and a wide variety of bizarre objects emblazoned with marketing slogans were used to sell phonographs and records during the 1877-1929 period. Additionally, phonograph records were used as a medium for promoting products as disparate as toothpaste, automobiles, and presidents. Indulge yourself with this visual feast of 450 color illustrations of phonograph and record marketing from yesteryear, plus detailed captions, values, and an insightful text.

The early history of recorded sound, Mr. Edison's most marvelous achievement, brimmed with graphic imagery - elegant, dazzling and delightful! Follow these award-winning authors on a bewitching tour of visual artifacts from the phonograph's first fifty years. There are colorful advertising placards, charming publicity posters, clever promotional giveaways, stunning catalog covers, and an astounding selection of gorgeous, hand-painted signs from rare coin-operated record machines. 500 full color illustrations and insightful captions will keep you turning the pages. An entire chapter is devoted to real life images of ordinary people interacting with the new technology - the amazing talking machine. Whether your interest is antique collecting, history, advertising, photography or social science, you will treasure this book.

Enter the fascinating and beautiful world of antique phonographs. Brimming with visual delights, this volume boldly goes into the priceless collections of dedicated enthusiasts from around the globe, documenting the amazing rarities and charming curiosities of the phonograph. In this, their eighth collaboration for Schiffer Publishing, the award-winning authors have assembled over 400 full-color images of historic music machines, many never before photographed. The substantive text and captions add much previously unpublished information. Vibrant wood, shining brass, and fanciful decals are only the beginning. Wicker, glass, leather, gold leaf, and even seashells are to be found on some of the amazing antique phonographs within these pages. For those new to this field, a price guide, glossary, and bibliography are included. Advanced collectors will appreciate the wealth of newly-revealed details.

Antique phonographs enjoyed a vigorous commercial existence 100 years ago. The market they inhabited was as filled with options, accessories, gadgets and gizmos as today's late-night television is populated with slicers, dicers, car waxes and beauty secrets. Collectors have acquired, examined and used these peripherals for years, but little has been written about them. In an effort to reveal more about the fascinating accessories, horns, storage cabinets, advertising and ephemera which surrounded the antique phonograph, the authors have examined nearly 20,000 pages of primary documents, and photographed examples from over 35 collections. Over 500 color photographs illustrate nearly 700 items from the early years of recorded sound. To finally discover this long-lost aspect of the antique phonograph hobby is something akin to Dorothy's first faltering steps into the Land of Oz. The world is suddenly in Technicolor! There is suddenly more excitement, more romance, more fun-as readers of this book will happily discover.

Out of attics and barns, out from under the dust of a century, out of collections far and wide come these spectacular survivors of the phonograph's early years. In 1996, the authors began writing a history of recorded sound. After two successful books, they have continued traveling, researching and documenting these wonderful machines. Few could have imagined how much remained to be discovered! Out of these further explorations, this gorgeous new book has come to life-illustrating entirely different talking machines. Through over 400 beautiful color illustrations, follow the progress of the acoustic talking machine from its crude beginnings in the 1870s to its most splendid and sophisticated heights in the early 20th century. An unparalleled archive of rare, fascinating, and previously undocumented objects has been assembled. The story behind the beautiful, bright machinery is told through clear and insightful descriptions, revealing many previously unpublished facts. A value guide will further enlighten the collector on the modern marketplace. Be ready to embark on an astounding journey. Prepare to discover the incredible variety and endearing charm of the antique phonograph.unding journey. Prepare to discover the incredible variety and endearing charm of the antique phonograph.