# The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage

10 Hacker News commenters recommended The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** A popular history of the telegraph and how it spread, recommended as an engaging read on how modern digital culture has roots in 19th-century networks.

## Why people recommend it

- Explains telegraph history clearly and engagingly (3 comments): "I HIGHLY recommend the Victorian Internet which is about the telegraph and how it was discovered, adopted and then became ubiquitous" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48895285)) "An interesting book on the subject of telegraph networks is The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46433901)) "if you want to learn more about telegraphs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49129896))
- Shows parallels with modern digital culture (2 comments): "The book makes a good argument that if you plucked someone from the late 1800s and brought them into the modern day" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48901387)) "it blew my mind how much of modern digital culture existed on telegraphs prior to voice" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46435928))
- Well worth reading (2 comments): "Read it as a kid and had to grab a physical copy as I couldn't find digital. Well worth the read." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46458272)) "I came here to recommend this fine book as well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46436053))

## What people warn about

- Social parts may feel dated (1 comments): "I've recommended that book on this board before. The technical content won't have dated, but the social parts may have." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46436026))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dawn-of-everything.md): 23 recommend
- [Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cadillac-desert.md): 18 recommend
- [The Box by Marc Levinson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/box.md): 16 recommend
- [Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sapiens.md): 13 recommend
- [Chip War by Chris Miller](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chip-war.md): 13 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802716040?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780802716040) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage", https://hackerapproved.com/p/victorian-internet/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).