FC: Books: Charles Platt's "Enrob," E. Schwartz's "Last Lone Inventor"

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 02:40:32 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <cp () panix com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Cc: cp () panix com
Subject: Enron

Declan, I wish to draw your readers' attention to an item that should be
of fantastic importance to anyone who has expressed even marginal interest
in that amazing saga of greed and politics, the Enron scandal.

As Arthur Andersen Inc musters its few remaining resources to explain its
shredding orgy in federal court, my much more interesting explanation is
already being distributed to (at least a few) bookstores throughout the
land.

I refer of course to the vital document euphemistically titled "Enrob
[sic] Annual Report 2001," which coincidentally emerges from the womb of
its publisher, ReganBooks, a division of HarperCollins, today, May 7th.

Those who want to look at this epochal study of greed-crazed malfeasance
without having to buy it can click on the inevitable URL:

www.enrobreport.com

--Charles Platt

(Former tech journalist, Wired writer, author of "Anarchy Online," "How to
Be a Happy Cat," and other titles too embarrassing to mention.)

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From: "johnmac" <johnmac () acm org>
To: <johnmacsgroup () yahoogroups com>
Cc: <eis () theworld com>, <declan () well com>, <farber () cis upenn edu>
Subject: Books: THE LAST LONE INVENTOR (and book promotions)
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 12:12:17 -0400

The following is a promo piece that I just received from Evan Schwartz 
about his new book, "THE LAST LONE INVENTOR: A Tale of Genius, Deceit, and 
the Birth of Television". I've known Evan, via e-mail and a few phone 
calls, for a number of years back to the days when he was with Byte 
Magazine and read his E-Commerce Book. I have always enjoyed his writing 
and found it worthwhile.

His choice of promoting it via mailing list is also interesting. Much of 
book success seems to be found in just "getting out there". Around 1990, I 
read two books in draft and galleys and friends, "Panama -- The Whole 
Story" by Kevin Buckley, a tale of Noreiga's rule, replete with interviews 
of Noreiga and others, that read like a mystery novel, and "CyberPunk" by 
Katie Hafner and John Markoff, the story of three unrelated hackers, Kevin 
Mitnik; Robert Morris, Jr., and the German hacker who was the villian in 
Cliff Stoll's "The Cuckoo's Egg" -- "Cyberpunk" was equally 
fascinating  and I had expectations that both books, coincidentally both 
published by Simon and Schuster, would do very well.

This expectation was bolstered when both received good reviews in the 
Sunday Times (the review of the Panama book was as postitive as I have ever 
seen). Katie told me at the time of the launch that friends had recommended 
that they not depend on S&S to promote the book but rather to hire their 
own publicist and that they had done so. I mentioned this to Kevin and he 
said that he had considered it and had not done so. -- and what a 
difference. John and Katie were all over the dial being interviewed -- "The 
Today Show" etc. while I never heard Kevin in the New York area. He was on 
with Jim Bonhannon on a Saturday night radio show where the closest feed to 
NYC was Albany and I heard him on an FM station in Washington one night 
when I was there. The number of books in the stores were a reflection of 
the publicity, it seemed also. I could always find copies of "Cyberpunk" 
but not always "Panama" -- and it was a real shame because I thought then 
(and still think) that it was a book well worth reading (buy it and read it 
now!)

So I hope that Evan's promos get his book into the public eye so that it 
gets a fair shot.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Evan I. Schwartz" <<mailto:eis () theworld com>eis () theworld com>
To: <<mailto:announce () lastlone com>announce () lastlone com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:09 AM
Subject: Announcing THE LAST LONE INVENTOR, my new book

I'm pleased to announce the brand new publication of . . . .
THE LAST LONE INVENTOR: A Tale of Genius, Deceit, and the Birth of
Television.

The book is released this week by HarperCollins, and I'd like to tell
you a little about it. This is the true story of one of the greatest
technology and business conflicts of all time: THE LAST LONE INVENTOR
tells the tale of Philo T. Farnsworth, the farm boy who invented
television. We follow Farnsworth as he finds himself engaged in an epic
battle with RCA tycoon and NBC founder David Sarnoff, and we see how the
clash between these two passionate adversaries symbolizes a turning
point in the culture of creativity. All that in only 300 pages.

Oddly enough, my interest in Philo T. Farnsworth and his struggle to
bring his television into the world grew out of my work writing a pair
of books about the World Wide Web. While the story is a historical
account, you'll recognize the many parallels to today that drew me to
the tale in the first place. My research led me to a remarkable person.
When I had heard that Farnsworth's widow was still alive, I was
apprehensive about contacting her and asking her to revisit painful
memories, but when I tracked down her telephone number and called, I was
glad I did, and she seemed glad too. Elma G. 'Pem' Farnsworth was about
to turn 92 when I first met her in December, 1999. This book wouldn't be
the same if it weren't for her ability to recall events of long ago in
vivid detail.

I hope you find this story as inspiring as I do. Above all, this is a
tale of what human ingenuity can accomplish against great odds. That's
why I begin the story with this quote from Farnsworth's hero, Albert
Einstein: 'Anything that is truly great or inspiring is created in the
mind of one individual laboring in freedom.'


***** EARLY BLURBS & REVIEWS
"Farnsworth is probably the most influential unknown person in the past
century. Evan Schwartz tells the fascinating inside story of how this
eccentric loner invented television and fought corporate America."
-- Walter Isaacson, chairman, CNN

"THE LAST LONE INVENTOR is the fascinating true story of the epic tussle
between the Lone Inventor and the Mega-Mogul over the most influential
invention of all time. This is a riveting American classic of
independent brilliance versus corporate arrogance. I found it more fun
than fiction."
-- James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers

"For pop history chroniclers, the story of Philo T. Farnsworth is almost
too good to be true . . . Schwartz's cogent and elegant book
persuasively argues Farnsworth's case and describes the heartbreak that
defined his life."
-- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"The author's decision to focus on the battles between Farnsworth and
Sarnoff not only makes for compelling biography, but also vividly
captures America's 20th-century transformation from an independent
frontier culture to a modern, media-driven society. . . Schwartz's
strong, dramatic prose ensures that a general audience will appreciate
it."
-- KIRKUS REVIEWS


***** Buy the Book at a Store Near You, or Order at Amazon.com or BN.com

Please support your local bookseller, as these stores build community
and enable diversity.

If you cannot make it to a store - to order from Amazon.com:
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0066210690/webonombyevaniscA/>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0066210690/webonombyevaniscA/

To order from Barnes&Noble.com:
<http://bn.bfast.com/booklink/click?sourceid=1683622&isbn=0066210690>http://bn.bfast.com/booklink/click?sourceid=1683622&isbn=0066210690


***** VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

HarperCollins did a fantastic job designing not only the cover but also
the book's official website . . .
<http://www.lastloneinventor.com>http://www.lastloneinventor.com

. . . which includes a special section of historic photos and video
clips, including Farnsworth's only national television appearance, on a
1957 quiz show.
<http://www.harpercollins.com/hc/features/special/inventor>http://www.harpercollins.com/hc/features/special/inventor


***** TOUR SCHEDULE & MEDIA APPEARANCES

Please come out and see me on the book tour, which begins in Washington
D.C. on May 28, continues to New York on May 29, Boston on May 30, Los
Angeles on June 5 and San Francisco on June 6. Events and media
appearances include:

Thursday, May 09, 2002 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM, live author interview on
CNNfn - "The Biz"

Sunday, May 12, 2002 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM, hour-long interview on
WRKO-680 AM, Boston - "Tech Beat"

Tuesday, May 28, 2002 - Washington, D.C. media day

Wednesday, May 29, 2002 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM, discussion, reading and
signing at BARNES & NOBLE/Lincoln Center, 1972 Broadway, New York

Thursday, May 30, 2002 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM, discussion, reading and
signing at  BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, Mass.

Wednesday, June 05, 2002 06:30 PM, discussion, reading, and signing,
AGOURA HILLS LIBRARY, 29901 Ladyface Court, Agoura Hills, Calif.

Thursday, June 06, 2002 05:00 PM, a special event at PHILO TELEVISION -
a reading, discussion and signing in the laboratory location where
Farnsworth invented electronic television in 1927 -- 200 Green Street,
San Francisco.

Check <http://www.lastloneinventor.com>www.lastloneinventor.com for the 
latest NEWS, SURPRISE MEDIA
APPEARANCES, and SCHEDULE ADDITIONS, or
<mailto:jennifer.swihart () harpercollins com>mailto:jennifer.swihart () harpercollins com 
for additional media and book
tour info.


***** About THE LAST LONE INVENTOR - from the inside of the book jacket:

In a story that is both of its time and timeless, Evan I. Schwartz tells
a tale of genius and greed, innocence and deceit, and corporate
arrogance versus independent brilliance. In other words, the very
qualities that have made this country -- for better or for worse -- what
it is.

Many men have laid claim to the title "The Father of Television" but
Philo T. Farnsworth is the true genius behind what may be the most
influential invention of our time. Farnsworth may have ended up a
footnote in history, yet he was the first to demonstrate an electronic
process for scanning, transmitting and receiving moving images, a
discovery that changed the way we live.

Growing up on a small farm in Idaho, Farnsworth was fascinated by
anything scientific, especially the newest thing on the market -- radio.
Wouldn't it be even more miraculous to project images along with the
sound? Driven by his obsession, Farnsworth found a local philanthropist
willing to fund his dream. By the age of twenty, in 1926, Farnsworth was
operating his own laboratory above a garage in San Francisco and filing
his first patent applications.

The resulting publicity brought him to the attention of David Sarnoff,
the celebrated founder of the NBC radio network, whose own RCA
laboratories soon began investigating -- without much success -- a way
to transmit a moving image. Determined to control television the way he
monopolized radio -- by owning all the royalty producing
patents--Sarnoff, from the lofty heights of his office in a New York
skyscraper, devised a plan to steal credit for Farnsworth's designs.

Vividly written, and based on original research, including interviews
with surviving members of the Farnsworth family, The Last Lone Inventor
is the story of the epic struggle between two equally passionate
adversaries and how their clash symbolized a turning point in the
culture of creativity.


***** Read the Excerpt in WIRED

Check out 'Televisionary,' a feature article adapted from THE LAST LONE
INVENTOR, as published in WIRED magazine.

<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.04/farnsworth.html>http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.04/farnsworth.html





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