In this superbly illustrated survey Rodney Dale and Rebecca Weaver trace the development of the inventions that have dramatically transformed our leisure activities, and look at some of the more traditional aspects of home entertainment, such as toys and indoor games. Patents, newspapers, advertisements, cartoons and sketches from contemporary sources illustrate the story of the moving picture, the talking machine, the wireless and other precursors of today's televisions and radios, music systems and home computers.