Inventing the Electronic Century: The Epic Story of the Consumer Electronics and Computer Industries

Start-ups get all the attention, but the credit or blame for much of the 20th century's gadget frenzy lies squarely with giants like IBM and Sony. Business historian Alfred D. Chandler Jr. thoroughly documents the rise and fall of big players in the consumer electronic and computer industries in Inventing the Electronic Century.

It's not light reading--Chandler draws on mountainous reserves of knowledge of business, politics, technology, and social trends to reach his conclusions, and the narrative relies equally on boardroom stories and commercial data. Still, the book's compelling, often cautionary tales should help managers and investors see patterns underlying their own industrial behaviors, and perhaps emulate Sony more than RCA.

The scope of the book can be daunting, and in many ways parallels the global changes seen throughout the century, including the rise of the Japanese economy, the capricious American commercial sector, and the relative stasis of postwar Europe. Committed and patient readers will gain insight into the nature of the tech industry in Inventing the Electronic Century, and then start inventing the next one. --Rob Lightner