Genealogy Australia

From the late 1880s until the end of the 1920s sound recording in the home could be played either on disc 'gramophones' or cylinder 'phonographs' (in North America both were called phonographs. For almost all this period amplification was only by acoustic means - a horn, and for many years all recordings were made through the horn as well. A singer or band had to produce enough sound to get the recording stylus to leave an impression of the music in the wax blank.

This book describes the development of domestic talking machines from the early phonographs through to the fine 'musical furniture' of the 1920s. The book also briefly covers the complex early development of the record industry. The grooved vinyl disc was mechanical sound recordings last descendant, but it too has now vanished from the mass market. Fortunately even the shellac disc and cylinder still have their following today.

Contents:
The phonograph
The gramophone
Cylinder versus disc
Unusual talking machines
The last accoustics
Old talking machines today
Further reading
Places to visit