The Tubes That Changed the World

From a blackened lamp to the birth of electronics Vacuum tubes did not simply improve earlier technologies: they changed the world. From Edison’s first lamps to the birth of the diode and triode, from the radio age to practical tube testing, this book retraces one of the most extraordinary technological journeys of the modern era. It is also a journey backward through time and inward through matter: into the laboratories where electronics was born, and into the glass bulbs themselves, where heat, electrons, electric fields, and delicate grid control made amplification and oscillation possible. Historical episodes, intuitive explanations, and richly illustrated technical pages guide the reader from the origins of electronics to the instruments used to evaluate its most iconic components. Special attention is devoted to two legendary military tube testers, the TV-2/U and TV-7/U, examined both as engineering objects and as practical tools for today’s enthusiasts, collectors, and restorers.
Free TOC and sample
Paperback, 8,5”x 8,5”, color premium paper, 318 pages

When Machines Learned to Write

The Wonderful History of Printing Telegraphy From the first electric telegraphs to the age of radioteletype, the transmission of written information reshaped the way the world communicated. For decades, printing telegraphy played a vital role in newsrooms, military networks, commercial services, and amateur radio stations, becoming one of the defining technologies of modern communication. Blending historical narrative, technical analysis, and practical restoration, this book explores both the wider evolution of telegraphic communication and the extraordinary mechanical intelligence that made it possible. Its central focus is a full technical study of the TG-7, the military counterpart of the Teletype Model 15, whose operating principles, internal logic, and ingenious mechanisms are examined in detail. At the same time, the book follows the complete restoration of a long-silent machine, ultimately returned to full working order. Free TOC and sample
Paperback, 8,5”x 8,5”, color premium paper, 278 pages

Digital But Analog

Digital Behavior in an Analog Era

The world around us is fundamentally analog, yet in many critical situations we demand digital certainty. Long before the advent of digital electronics, engineers were already confronted with this paradox—par- ticularly in military and aeronautical applications, where precision and repeatability were essential. To achieve unambiguous results, they were forced to invent ingenious solutions capable of producing discrete, stable, and reliable behavior using purely analog components, mechanical systems, and hybrid approaches. This book explores a selection of these technologies, developed mainly between the early 1950s and the late 1960s, when the first digital circuits began to appear. It is a journey into a remarkable period of engineering, where necessity compelled designers to go beyond limits that once seemed impossible. Free TOC and sample (Includes: R-390, R-392, T-195, RT-66, Siemens E311, PRC-47, PRC-74, Racal 1217)
Paperback, 8,5”x 8,5”, color premium paper, 306 pages

Collins Classics Hardcover Luxury Edition

KWM-2, 30L-1 and 51S-1: History, Engineering and Restoration

​Arthur A. Collins reshaped radio communications with equipment that was not only advanced, but uncompromising in vision and engineering quality. Under his leadership, the Collins Radio Company set standards of reliability, precision, and performance that remained unmatched for decades, influencing both civilian and military technology worldwide. ​This book presents a selection of three of the company’s most significant instruments—milestones adopted by amateurs, collectors, embassies, and strategic communication services across the globe. Through these examples, it highlights the spirit of innovation and technical mastery that defined Collins Radio and the enduring legacy of its remarkable founder. Free TOC and sample
Hardcover Luxury Edition, 210 x 210 mm, 150gsm Coated Paper, special printing process for top quality results (see Photo 1 | Photo 2), 350 pages, price: €65,95
Buy from: THE GREAT BRITISH BOOK SHOP

Collins Classics Pre-printed copies

KWM-2, 30L-1 and 51S-1: History, Engineering and Restoration

Same as above but preprinted and sold through eBay, with almost zero shipping delay. Shipping costs make this more appealing for Italian readers. Free TOC
Hardcover Luxury Edition, 210 x 210 mm, 150gsm Coated Paper, special printing process for top quality results (see Photo 1 | Photo 2), 350 pages, price: €65,00
Buy from: price: see retailer
Buy from: eBay

Collins Classics Standard Edition

KWM-2, 30L-1 and 51S-1: History, Engineering and Restoration

​Arthur A. Collins reshaped radio communications with equipment that was not only advanced, but uncompromising in vision and engineering quality. Under his leadership, the Collins Radio Company set standards of reliability, precision, and performance that remained unmatched for decades, influencing both civilian and military technology worldwide. ​This book presents a selection of three of the company’s most significant instruments—milestones adopted by amateurs, collectors, embassies, and strategic communication services across the globe. Through these examples, it highlights the spirit of innovation and technical mastery that defined Collins Radio and the enduring legacy of its remarkable founder. Free TOC and sample
Paperback, 8,5”x 8,5”, color premium paper, 350 pages, price: see retailer

Vintage Radio Equipment

A Pictorial and Technical Analysis from WW2 to the Internet Age ​​ Most real world life, since the introduction of radio and until the late eighties, passed through shortwave communication. World War II proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that communications equipment was a necessary prerequisite for military success. After the war, shortwave became the backbone on which the world’s most important services depended every day. All the radio equipment through whose cathodes, grids, plates and transistors all this human history has passed, is therefore an extraordinary subject of study and enjoyment for us enthusiasts of vintage instruments. In this book, which begins after the Second World War, you will find a lot of information, descriptions, suggestions, technical notes, photos and schematics that can be of great help to those who want to restore or ​simply get to know these wonderful witnesses of one of the most beautiful eras in the history of technology. Free TOC Available from Elektor Books, with worldwide shipping.

Strumentazione Vintage

Le silenziose fondazioni della tecnologia Lavorare nell’elettronica insegna che conoscenza ed esperienza sono essenziali, ma che un lavoro serio non può prescindere da una buona strumentazione. A differenza della maggior parte dei dispositivi, gli strumenti non svolgono una funzione propria: sono al servizio di altre macchine e sistemi, e ci aiutano a progettare, verificare, calibrare e riparare. Questo libro presenta una selezione di strumenti di misura che vanno dalla seconda guerra mondiale agli anni novanta. Operando senza protagonismo, hanno contribuito a scrivere la nostra storia e a rendere possibile il progresso della scienza e della tecnologia. Anche loro hanno una storia, spesso gloriosa, che speriamo di aver saputo raccontare almeno in parte. Recuperarli, studiarli e restaurarli è ancora oggi una profonda soddisfazione, alla portata di ogni appassionato di elettronica.
Working in electronics teaches that knowledge and experience are essential, but also that serious work cannot do without good instrumentation. Unlike most devices, instruments do not perform a function of their own: they are at the service of other machines and systems, and they help us to design, test, calibrate, and repair. This book presents a selection of measuring instruments ranging from the Second World War to the 1990s. Operating without protagonism, they have contributed to writing our history and to making possible the progress of science and technology. They too have a history, often a glorious one, which we hope we have been able to recount at least in part. Recovering them, studying them, and restoring them is still today a deep satisfaction, within the reach of every electronics enthusiast.
It includes: TS-505/U Electronic Multimeter; TS-375A/U Vacuum Tube Voltmeter; TS-585/U Output Meter; TV-7D/U Electron Tube Test Set; ZM-3/U, Component Analyzer; ZM-11/U, LRC Bridge; BC-221 Frequency Meter Test Set; TS-497B/URR UHF Signal Generator; Tektronix 143 SECAM Signal Generator; Philips PM 5501 PAL TV Pattern Generator; Millen 90651 Grid Dip Meter; DuMont OS-34/USM-32 Oscilloscope; Philips PM-3217 50 MHz Dual Channel Oscilloscope; Philips PM 3350A 50 MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope; LeCroy 9361 Digital Storage Oscilloscope; Advantest R3132 Spectrum Analyzer Free TOC
In Italian only by Edizioni C&C.