THE WORLD'S FIRST TELEVISION JOURNAL

DINSDALE, A. (ed.)

Television. A Monthly Magazine. Vol. 1, No.1, 1928. The World's first Television Journal. The Official Organ of the Television Society.

(London, The Television Press), 1928. 8vo. Original illustrated coloured wrappers depicting a distinguished couple enjoying the opera transmitted on television, with the actual opera in the background. Richly illustrated throughout. A bit of minor spotting to front wrapper; all in all a very nice, fully intact, copy. 52 pp + one loose leaf: "Supplement to Television, No. 1 - March, 1928" (containing the article "Seeing Across the Atlantic!").

The first printing of the uncommon (especially in wrappers) first volume, first number of the world's first television journal, which contains many very important articles in the history of the development of television and which came to highly influence the use and spreading of the television as a broadcast medium.

The journal "Television", "The first periodical publication devoted to television, began publication in 1928, the year that marked the beginning of television's transformation from scientific curiosity to commercially viable broadcast medium." (Hook & Norman, p. 205).

The most important year for television as we know it today must be said to be 1928, the year in which it became certain that television could be more than a scientific curiosity, the same year that the "Television" journal, aimed at both amateurs and professionals and filled with commercials connected to television, appeared. "In 1927 television was belived to be just around the corner. This imminence became a fact in 1928..." (Shiers, p. 132).

"Television" served as the official journal of the Television Society, "a combination which met the needs and interests of amateurs as well as professionals." (Shiers, p. 132).

"Of all scientific subjects, perhaps the one which is creating the most interest in the public mind at the present time is television. It is, howevera subject upon which almost no literature or authentic information has been available, either to the interested amateur or to the scientist.
It is the object of this, the first journal of its kind in the world, to fill this want, and to supply an organ the sole object of which will be to keep interested members of the public supplied with up-to-date and authentic information upon this new branch of science, which bids fair in time to rival wireless broadcasting in importance and popularity." (beginning of the Editorial, by Dinsdale).

Hook and Norman, Originas of Cyberspace, nr. 203, (1) ("A monthly magazine devoted to the interests and progress of the science of seeing by wire and wireless" - the front wrapper of vol. 1, no. 1 depicted).

Shiers, Early Television, a Bibliographic Guide, nr. 1152 ("Greetings to the World's first Television Journal"), 1153 ("The Bith of the Television Society"), 1154 ("Technical Notes"), 1155 ("Technical Notes"), 1156 ("Commercial Televsion. When may we expect it?"), 1157 ("Join the Television Society"), 1158 ("How to make a Simple Televisor"), 1159 ("Television on the Continent"), 1160 ("Noctovision. Seeing in total Darkness by Television"), 1161 ("Seeing Across the Atlantic", being the account of Baird's transmission from London to New York).

Order-nr.: 40916