New book on the birth of the Sony Walkman

[left channel]

Not just for audiophiles of a certain age...

Just saw this in a book launch event announcement.
It's available in Paperback, Kindle, and Google Book formats.

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Personal Stereo
by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

When the Sony Walkman debuted in 1979, people were enthralled by the novel experience it offered: immersion in the music of their choice, anytime, anywhere. But the Walkman was also denounced as self-indulgent and antisocial-the quintessential accessory for the "me" generation.

In Personal Stereo, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow takes us back to the birth of the device, exploring legal battles over credit for its invention, its ambivalent reception in 1980s America, and its lasting effects on social norms and public space. Ranging from postwar Japan to the present, Tuhus-Dubrow tells an illuminating story about our emotional responses to technological change.

 

[left channel]

O. M. G...

 

[left channel]

From the introduction (click to enlarge):

 

 

:-)

[left channel]

The Walkman, Forty Years On
The gadget that taught the world to socially distance.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-walkman-forty-years-on

[sphinxsix]

I heard once Sony had offered quite lots of money for the first Walkman in good condition.

BTW I bought my first Sony W. in West Berlin. After leaving the store I attached it to my belt but two minutes later when I was going down the stairs of the underground train station it fell off and I saw my dear new gear going all the way down the stairs (and many of them!).. 

The very first thought was - good by, Sony  But it survived the fall and worked without problems for years before I gave it to someone. Good ol' reliable audio gear...

Getting melancholic, so that's it! 

[left channel]

18 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I heard once Sony had offered quite lots of money for the first Walkman in good condition.

BTW I bought my first Sony W. in West Berlin. After leaving the store I attached it to my belt but two minutes later when I was going down the stairs of the underground train station it fell off and I saw my dear new gear going all the way down the stairs (and many of them!).. 

The very first thought was - good by, Sony  But it survived the fall and worked without problems for years before I gave it to someone. Good ol' reliable audio gear...

Getting melancholic, so that's it! 

 

I've recently seen several on eBay for well over $500 (and €500 too). Of course, those hadn't been bounced down a flight of underground steps, lol. What an emotional trauma that must have been!

[sphinxsix]

3 hours ago, left channel said:

Of course, those hadn't been bounced down a flight of underground steps, lol. What an emotional trauma that must have been!

A couple of years of psychotherapy and it's all gone.. 

 

[Nikhil]

My Sony Walkman was my first personal audio gear.  It's hard to describe how important that first Walkman was for me.  I was in boarding school then and my Walkman transported me to another place.  That Walkman never left my side.  Bought a top line model many years later when I was in college.  What an amazing piece of engineering.   

 

One of the most iconic products ever.

 

 

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