Impeccable research; serviceable but certainly readable prose. Truly a great job of historical synthesis.
Blondheim concentrates more on the organizational structures of the New York Associated Press (and its satellites), and its conflicts with the telegraph companies–particularly Western Union–than anything else, though the organizational explorations necessarily include some examination of the newspapers which were its clients and builders. There’s also some telegraphic history, but that’s largely concentrated on how those developments impacted the (NY)AP.
There’s a heavy emphasis on individuals in this book, which some will consider problematic. Some characters are quite vividly drawn.
This short review was originally published on LibraryThing.