A thematic and organized history of Bell Labs.

Anyone who is interested in this subject, or was lucky enough to be involved in any of the later parts of the history of Bell Labs will find this chronicle of the lab and its major characters a delightful and fascinating read. People who like books recommended by Oprah, not so much.

Well researched, well written. Story flows and gives a great peek into a world that will likely never exist again in corporate America. Also a great look back at the birth of modern electronics.

To be honest, I at first expected a kind of dull corporate brag fest. But to my surprised delight, this book was smoothly written, incredibly well-research and a total pleasure to read. The reality is that the history of Bell Labs (and AT&T) traces the history of 20th century America. Jon Gertner brilliantly ties the personalities to exciting technical developments and explains it all so anyone can understand. Yet he maintains an objectivity of the organization and its challenges that reflect so well on his journalist credentials. Bottom line, not many corporate history books have grabbing power, but I could hardly put this one down.