Acknowledgements 1. Why Telegraph Messenger Boys? 2. Western Union and the Inner-City Messengers 3. American District Telegraph and the Intra-City Messengers 4. The Spaces of Messenger Discipline 5. The Message and the Messenger 6. The Limits of Gender, Class and Age 7. The First Information Internetwork 8. They Myths of Education 9. From Union Joke to Union Man 10. The Telegram is Dead; Long Live the Messenger
Gregory J. Downey
"This meticulously researched study reveals a hitherto neglected
aspect of the geography of information technologies: the labor
necessary to the construction of space-time. The book provides a
fascinating glimpse into the lives of Telegraph Messenger boys, and
how they were shaped by, and shaped, corporate struggles
surrounding the evolution of the telegraph, norms of age and
gender, urban morphologies, and labor struggles. By demonstrating
that their work was crucial to the realization of
telecommunications in the twentieth century, Downey points to the
importance of software engineers, line operators, delivery services
and couriers in the twenty-first century.-Eric Sheppard, Professor
of Geography, University of Minnesota."
"Drawing upon the techniques of history of science and contemporary
human geography, Downey tells an amazing story of how a hitherto
neglected labor force of mere boys pinned together the
communication network of American cities for the best part of a
century. This is interdisciplinary scholarship at its very best and
pioneers an approach to understanding communication networks that
has deep relevance to contemporary conditions.-David Harvey,
Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, City University of New
York."
"...this book could attract a broad readership. It would certainly
become a must-read for graduate students and historians in the
variety of fields on which it touches.[Downey's] analysis is
original and his framework creative."-Susan Porter Benson, author
of CounterCultures: Saleswomen, Managers, and Customers in
AmericanDepartment Stores, 1890-1940."
"'.this book could attract a broad readership. It would certainly
become a must-read for graduate students and historians in the
variety of fields on which it touches.[Downey's] analysis is
original and his framework creative."-Susan Porter Benson, author
of CounterCultures: Saleswomen, Managers, and Customers in
AmericanDepartment Stores, 1890-1940."
"Telegraph Messenger Boys opens a scholarly window onto a
little-explored world: not just that of the teenaged information
workers of an earlier era, but that of the human side of any
technological revolution. It suggests a rich vein of investigation
into our own information age -Paul A. Soukup, S.J Santa Clara
University."
"This is a pioneering and insightful study - and a model of
interdiscinplinary scholarship - that deserves a wide readership."
-- American Historical Review
"Telegraph Messenger Boys opens a scholarly window onto a
little-explored world: not just that of the teenaged information
workers of an earlier era, but that of the human side of any
technological revolution. It suggests a rich vein of investigation
into our own information age." -- -Paul A. Soukup, S.J Santa Clara
University
"Drawing upon the techniques of history of science and contemporary
human geography, Downey tells an amazing story of how a hitherto
neglected labor force of mere boys pinned together the
communication network of American cities for the best part of a
century. This is interdisciplinary scholarship at its very best and
pioneers an approach to understanding communication networks that
has deep relevance to contemporary conditions." -- -David Harvey,
Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, City University of New
York
"This meticulously researched study reveals a hitherto neglected
aspect of the geography of information technologies: the labor
necessary to the construction of space-time. The book provides a
fascinating glimpse into the lives of Telegraph Messenger boys, and
how they were shaped by, and shaped, corporate struggles
surrounding the evolution of the telegraph, norms of age and
gender, urban morphologies, and labor struggles. By demonstrating
that their work was crucial to the realization of
telecommunications in the twentieth century, Downey points to the
importance of software engineers, line operators, delivery services
and couriers in the twenty-first century." -- -Eric Sheppard,
Professor of Geography, University of Minnesota
"This book could attract a broad readership. It would certainly
become a must-read for graduate students and historians in the
variety of fields on which it touches.[Downey's] analysis is
original and his framework creative." -- -Susan Porter Benson,
author of CounterCultures: Saleswomen, Managers, and Customers in
AmericanDepartment Stores, 1890-1940
"Drawn on a variety of official and corporate sources, the study
combines aspects of history and geography with an assessment of
labor practices." -- Communication Booknotes Quarterly, Vol
35:2
"Downey tells a coherent story of the rise and fall of the TMB, a
difficult but successfully executed task.
This book is full of interesting facts and stories...
." -- Tomas Nonnenmacher, Department of Economics, Allegheny
College; EH.NET
Telegraph Messenger Boys offers intriguing analytical approaches
for labor historians and is a worthy contribution to communications
history.William S. PretzerHenry Ford MuseumDearborn, Michigan
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