{"product_id":"the-idea-factory-isbn-9780143122791","title":"The Idea Factory","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe definitive history of America’s greatest incubator of innovation and the birthplace of some of the 20th century’s most influential technologies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Filled with colorful characters and inspiring lessons . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Factory\u003c\/i\u003e explores one of the most critical issues of our time: What causes innovation?” —Walter Isaacson, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Compelling . . . Gertner's book offers fascinating evidence for those seeking to understand how a society should best invest its research resources.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom its beginnings in the 1920s until its demise in the 1980s, Bell Labs-officially, the research and development wing of AT\u0026amp;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 been touched by Bell Labs.  In \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Factory\u003c\/i\u003e, Jon Gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth century's most important inventions and delivers a riveting and heretofore untold chapter of American history. At its heart this is a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant and eccentric men-Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker-who spent their careers at Bell Labs.  Today, when the drive to invent has become a mantra, Bell Labs offers us a way to enrich our understanding of the challenges and solutions to technological innovation. Here, after all, was where the foundational ideas on the management of innovation were born.“Filled with colorful characters and inspiring lessons . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Factory\u003c\/i\u003e explores one of the most critical issues of our time: What causes innovation?” —\u003cb\u003eWalter Isaacson, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Riveting . . . Mr. Gertner’s portraits of Kelly and the cadre of talented scientists who worked at Bell Labs are animated by a journalistic ability to make their discoveries and inventions utterly comprehensible—indeed, thrilling—to the lay reader. And they showcase, too, his novelistic sense of character and intuitive understanding of the odd ways in which clashing or compatible personalities can combine to foster intensely creative collaborations.” —\u003cb\u003eMichiko Kakutani, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“One of the best innovation-focused books I've read: It's a wide-ranging, detailed, and deeply fascinating look at the New Jersey lab which has been churning out useful discoveries since the early 1900s.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Fascinating history . . . the research behind \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Factory\u003c\/i\u003e is astonishing.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSlate Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Compelling . . . Gertner's book offers fascinating evidence for those seeking to understand how a society should best invest its research resources.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“An expansive new history . . . does an impressive job of illuminating many of Bell Labs’ key technological triumphs.” —\u003cb\u003eWired.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eJon Gertner\u003c\/b\u003e grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, just a few hundred yards away from Bell Labs. He has been a writer for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e since 2004 and is an editor at \u003ci\u003eFast Company\u003c\/i\u003e magazine. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife and two children.","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304446578917,"sku":"NP9780143122791","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780143122791.jpg?v=1767739891","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-idea-factory-isbn-9780143122791","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}