Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World

Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World
Hedy's Folly The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr the Most Beautiful Woman in the World
Author: Richard Rhodes
What do Hedy Lamarr, avant-garde composer George Antheil, and your cell phone have in common? The answer is spread-spectrum radio: a revolutionary invention based on the rapid switching of communications sig-nals among a spread of different frequencies. Without this technology, we would not have the digital comforts that we take for granted toda...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780385534383
ISBN-10: 0385534388
Publication Date: 11/29/2011
Pages: 272
Rating:
  • Currently 2.9/5 Stars.
 7

2.9 stars, based on 7 ratings
Publisher: Doubleday
Book Type: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World on
Helpful Score: 1
If you would like a biography of Hedy Lemarr, this is not the best book.After I read the first 100 pages and realized only 30 of them had been about Hedy, I wondered why the book was not titled for George Antheil, about whom the majority of the book was written. I was disappointed in the content of the book and the sources for Hedy's information.
Read All 3 Book Reviews of "Hedys Folly The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr the Most Beautiful Woman in the World"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

amichai avatar reviewed Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World on + 368 more book reviews
This book is not an in-depth biography of Hedy Lamar, but achieves its stated aim - to tell the story of Lamarr's most important invention and her life in relation to that development. There are other books available for pure biography. I found this book informative and well written.
reviewed Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World on + 1438 more book reviews
Perhaps I should have rated this book three stars because it did not focus as much on Hedy Lamarr as I had expected but when I realized the author's intent I changed my mind. The overall information about Hedy's work with George Antheil and his background plus the social and cultural atmosphere of the times reveals so much about what it must have been like for the life of this beautiful woman with a mighty brain. First, she was a woman who loved to act and invent. Indeed, she kept her inventor's table close at hand for whenever she had an idea she wanted to pursue. Second, neither Hedy nor Antheil were scientists. And, finally, they did not have channels through which they could get their inventions used. Nevertheless, so much of what we take for granted today was pioneered by this duo including cell phones and blue tooth technology.

Book Wiki

Common Title
People/Characters
Hedy Lamarr (Major Character)
George Antheil (Major Character)
Important Events

Genres: