Jonathan Hill is a freelance writer and photographer who has been interested in the history of radio since his art school days in the early 1970s. He was a founder member of the British Vintage Wireless Society, which was established in 1976 to encourage the preservation of early radio equipment and the study of broadcasting history. He has written several books on the subject and in 1992 established the National Vintage Communications Fair, now held twice a year at the NEC in Birmingham.

The radio has been part of home entertainment for over 75 years and generations of listeners have enjoyed their favourite music or programmes, or sat enthralled as an historic event unfolded through the radio's loudspeakers. This book explores the development of the radio from the late Victorian era until the late 1960s, including photographs of rare and unusual styles. A surprising number of early radios have survived to this day, some of which were made before broadcasting was introduced in the early 1920s, and the author discusses these old sets as well as the different and improving models over the years.