Crystal Fire
The Birth of the Information Age

Name: Crystal Fire
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Michael Riordan
ISBN: 9781538590683

Author: Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson

Narrator: Dennis McKee

Unabridged: 12 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 04/24/2018

Categories: Nonfiction, Science, Technology & Engineering, Electronics

Synopsis

On December 16, 1947, two physicists at Bell Laboratories, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, jabbed two electrodes into a sliver of germanium half an inch long. The electrical power coming out of that piece of germanium was 100 times stronger than what went in. In that moment, the transistor was invented and the information age began. Crystal Fire recounts the story of the transistor team at Bell Labs, led by William Shockley, who shared the Nobel Prize with Bardeen and Brattain. While his colleagues went on to other research, Shockley grew increasingly obsessed with the new gadget. He went on to form the first semiconductor company in what would become Silicon Valley.Above all, Crystal Fire is a tale of the human factors in technology: the pride and jealousies coupled with scientific and economic aspirations that led to the creation of modern microelectronics and ignited the greatest technological explosion in history.

About Michael Riordan

Michael Riordan has authored, coauthored, and edited a number of scientific books, including Crystal Fire and The Hunting of the Quark, which won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. In 2002, he received the Andrew Gemant Award of the American Institute of Physics for his contributions to the understanding of physics and its relationship to the wider culture. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.

About Lillian Hoddeson

Lillian Hoddeson is the Thomas M. Siebel Professor of History of Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign. She is the coauthor of Crystal Fire.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tech on December 30, 2017

I can't believe I missed this book. Now over 20 years old it is _the_ best account about the invention of the transistor and the three main individuals responsible for it - Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley. But it also covers all the other players involved in turning a lab curiosity into a commercially......more

Goodreads review by George on May 04, 2016

This is an excellent book that covers the invention of the transistor from its theoretical origins all the way to the integrated circuits, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without the knowledge of chemistry, physics and/or electronics. The writer makes a valiant effort to explain all the theory......more

Goodreads review by Peter on January 18, 2024

My Amazon review on March 8, 2018: There at the birth... I'd probably give it 3.5 stars if I could. While a very interesting history it seemed to straddle the fence too much in terms of the science versus the human interest aspects of the story. I think the former was sacrificed somewhat for the bene......more

Goodreads review by Andrey on January 24, 2019

Well written narrative about one of the most important inventions responsible for the information age. The serendipitous scientific discoveries leading to the transistor, and it's applications are astonishing. Very interesting storyline intertwined with WWII, developments in quantum physics, and our......more

Goodreads review by Gregory on March 31, 2020

Riordad details the people, history, and technology that ultimately resulted in the rise of modern semiconductor technology. Some serious brainpower was deployed during this time in pursuit of this technology, and the story is riveting from start to finish. He throws in just enough of the technical......more

Quotes

“Without the invention of the transistor, I’m quite sure that the PC would not exist as we know it today.” Bill Gates

“Thoroughly accessible to lay readers as well as the techno-savvy…A fine book.” Publishers Weekly

“A gripping read and a crash course in the dizzying complexity of information-age invention.” Amazon.com review

“This book of ‘history in the making’ fascinates.” AudioFile