Antique Phonograph: Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gimmicks

Antique phonographs enjoyed a vigorous commercial existence 100 years ago. The market they inhabited was as filled with options, accessories, gadgets and gizmos as today's late-night television is populated with slicers, dicers, car waxes and beauty secrets. Collectors have acquired, examined and used these peripherals for years, but little has been written about them. In an effort to reveal more about the fascinating accessories, horns, storage cabinets, advertising and ephemera which surrounded the antique phonograph, the authors have examined nearly 20,000 pages of primary documents, and photographed examples from over 35 collections. Over 500 color photographs illustrate nearly 700 items from the early years of recorded sound. To finally discover this long-lost aspect of the antique phonograph hobby is something akin to Dorothy's first faltering steps into the Land of Oz. The world is suddenly in Technicolor There is suddenly more excitement, more romance, more fun-as readers of this book will happily discover.

Timothy C. Fabrizio has been researching and writing about the talking machine for almost 30 years. His articles have appeared in numerous publications and he has addressed many scholarly groups on subjects ranging from early motion picture sound synchronization to interpretation of original documents. He has done consulting work at the Library of Congress and other archives and museums. The first book he co-authored with George F. Paul, The Talking Machine, an Illustrated Compendium 1877-1929, published in 1997 by Schiffer, has met with public success and critical acclaim. Having begun as an actor and enjoyed a career as a bookseller, Mr. Fabrizio is presently a talking machine restorer and dealer in New York State. George F. Paul began collecting and researching the talking machine in 1967 at the age of thirteen. Nearly 40 of his articles on talking machine history have appeared in various publications, addressing subjects such as the origins of the spring-driven Gramophone, American Zonophone Records, and Columbia’s entry in to the disc market. He has conducted the ＂Phonograph Forum＂ column in the New Amberola Graphic since 1983. The first book he co-authored with Timothy C. Fabrizio, The Talking Machine, an Illustrated Compendium 1877-1929, received an Association for Recorded Sound Collections 1998 Award for Excellence. Mr. Paul is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who lives in New York State with his wife and two children.