91É«ÇéƬ

We waited half a century for a biography of Alan Blumlein, inventor of the
stereo. Now there are two and, if the archive material collected by the late
Francis Thomson is ever located, there will doubtless be more. The first book,
by Robert Alexander, was published last year by Focal Press and launched with a
bang. The Life and Times of A. D. Blumlein by Russell Burns now follows in lower
key from Britain’s Institution of Electrical Engineers. It misses the publicity
boat, but is probably the better book, especially on the birth of radar. Those
with a serious interest will want both. £60, ISBN 085296773X.