[78-L] RCA-AFB Talking Books

[Michael Biel]

martha wrote:
> AFB has some RCA info here: 
> http://www.afb.org/ead.asp?EADID=19&nEADSeriesID=13&nEADSubSeriesID=41
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/ykvuao8
>
>
>   
This includes a picture of the label I described and goes on to 
reproduce many letters concerning the technical development of the 
records including groove size experiments.  The letter of  April 21,1934 
answers some of the comments I made about the Dyer patents and the Dyer 
memorial line at the top of the labels being what allowed the AFB to use 
the patents for free on RCA pressings.  It also gives the ASTONISHING 
info that the 12-inch Victrolac pressings cost 26 cents each with a 
press run of at least 100 with a $6.00 processing fee for the wax 
masters (which were recorded by the AFB). 


Robert M. Bratcher Jr. wrote:
>
> Here is a web page with the history of the talking books.
>
> http://www.loc.gov/nls/about_history.html#five 
>   

This gives info about the machines AFTER the development of the discs 
that the AFB site details.  These two sites dovetail beautifully.  
Theres a lot of great info in both these sites.  Thanks folks!

Mike Biel   mbiel at mbiel.com 

>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>
>   
>> Michael Biel wrote:
>>     
>>> The question came up a few weeks ago about RCA Victor recording Program
>>> Transcription talking books   I have dug up the discs I have which were
>>> produced for the American Foundation for the Blind and they have an AFB
>>> prefix on the matrix numbers as well as on the record number.  They are
>>> 12-inch black vinyl.   The grooving is finer than the Program
>>> Transcription grooving, and the labels state "Licensed Under Dyer
>>> Patents".  Frank L. Dyer was one of the biographers of Edison (Dyer and
>>> Martin) and took out a patent on fine groove recording.  I have some
>>> notations in my dissertation where he threatened several transcription
>>> companies who were discussing coming out with fine groove recordings.  I
>>> do not have any info on the relationship between the AFB, LC, Dyer, and
>>> RCA, but the discs are here.  We've all heard how Sarnoff  HATED to have
>>> to license patents from someone else!
>>>
>>>