The Victorian Internet
The Victorian Internet by Tom Standageby Tom Standage
Hacker ApprovedRanked 8 of 51 history books by recommenders
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.
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.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Explains telegraph history clearly and engagingly
“I HIGHLY recommend the Victorian Internet which is about the telegraph and how it was discovered, adopted and then became ubiquitous”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The 'absolute magic' of Morse code that still connects people globally” “An interesting book on the subject of telegraph networks is The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “The British Empire's Resilient Subsea Telegraph Network” “if you want to learn more about telegraphs”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Was a Bold, Beautiful Failure” Shows parallels with modern digital culture
“The book makes a good argument that if you plucked someone from the late 1800s and brought them into the modern day”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “The 'absolute magic' of Morse code that still connects people globally” “it blew my mind how much of modern digital culture existed on telegraphs prior to voice”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “The British Empire's Resilient Subsea Telegraph Network” Well worth reading
“Read it as a kid and had to grab a physical copy as I couldn't find digital. Well worth the read.”
Comment from 1 Jan 2026 in “The British Empire's Resilient Subsea Telegraph Network” “I came here to recommend this fine book as well.”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “The British Empire's Resilient Subsea Telegraph Network”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Social parts may feel dated
“I've recommended that book on this board before. The technical content won't have dated, but the social parts may have.”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “The British Empire's Resilient Subsea Telegraph Network”
Other history books people recommend
The four most recommended other history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dawn of Everythingby David Graeber and David Wengrow | 23 | 5 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Cadillac Desertby Marc Reisner | 18 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Boxby Marc Levinson | 16 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Sapiensby Yuval Noah Harari | 13 | 9 | 59% | 8 | — | — |
| The Victorian Internetby Tom StandageThis page | 10 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
8 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“if you want to learn more about telegraphs”
“The book makes a good argument that if you plucked someone from the late 1800s and brought them into the modern day”
“I HIGHLY recommend the Victorian Internet which is about the telegraph and how it was discovered, adopted and then became ubiquitous”
“Read it as a kid and had to grab a physical copy as I couldn't find digital. Well worth the read.”
“I came here to recommend this fine book as well.”
“I've recommended that book on this board before. The technical content won't have dated, but the social parts may have.”
“it blew my mind how much of modern digital culture existed on telegraphs prior to voice”
“An interesting book on the subject of telegraph networks is The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.