Making the Perfect Record: From Inscription to Impression in Early Magnetic Recording

Footnote 50

50. Quite humorously, in The Exploits of Elaine, Reeve’s characters make several references to the tremendous weight of the device: “We followed him, lugging the telegraphone” (1915, 126), “as I gave a groan of relief, for the telegraphone was getting like lead” (126), and “Kennedy . . . recovered the telegraphone. Together we carried it to the laboratory” (129). Magnetic audio may have been affiliated with noise-free, seemingly immaterial sound; however, the telegraphone was large and clunky at best, raising questions about how easy it was to actually transport or hide.

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