--- Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 02:40:32 -0400 (EDT) From: Charles Platt <cpat_private> To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private> Cc: cpat_private 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.) --- From: "johnmac" <johnmacat_private> To: <johnmacsgroupat_private> Cc: <eisat_private>, <declanat_private>, <farberat_private> 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:eisat_private>eisat_private> To: <<mailto:announceat_private>announceat_private> 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.swihartat_private>mailto:jennifer.swihartat_private 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign this pro-therapeutic cloning petition: http://www.franklinsociety.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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