The definitive history of America’s greatest incubator of innovation and the birthplace of some of the 20th century’s most influential technologies
“Filled with colorful characters and inspiring lessons . . . The Idea Factory explores one of the most critical issues of our time: What causes innovation?” —Walter Isaacson, The New York Times Book Review
“Compelling . . . Gertner''s book offers fascinating evidence for those seeking to understand how a society should best invest its research resources.” —The Wall Street Journal
From its beginnings in the 1920s until its demise in the 1980s, Bell Labs-officially, the research and development wing of AT&T-was the biggest, and arguably the best, laboratory for new ideas in the world. From the transistor to the laser, from digital communications to cellular telephony, it''s hard to find an aspect of modern life that hasn''t
