In The Telegraph in America, 1832-1920, David Hochfelder provides a taut and consistently intelligent history of the telegraph in American life. The book is notable for both its topical breadth-encompassing war, politics, business, journalism, and everyday life-as well as its focused, argument-driven chapters. New Books in Communications The author... develops nuanced analyses to the impact of telegraphy on upon American life. EH.Net Hochfelder's work is exemplary in its caution about mediator technology-specific claims to exceptionalism or determinism. This authoritative and persuasive book will remain an essential reference for scholars. American Historical Review For a quick assessment of telegraphy's development and impact, this insightful book is hard to beat. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly While offering new insights into the relationship between Western Union and Associated Press, Hochfelder's strongest contribution to the history of telegraphy is his analysis of wiring on financial markets and the subsequent spread of speculation and gambling fueled by private wires and telegraph ticker services. MAKE: A Literary Magazine Heavily researched and very clearly presented. Journal of American History Hochfelder left no stone unturned in this well balanced and scholarly examination of the telegraph, those it served, and the impact it had on society. The Michigan Railfan