Loving Little Counter Display

Thomas McMahon. Penguin Books, $69.5 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-14-778243-4

In the 1920s, Mourly Vold, an unschooled genius in physics, and his friends tap into the nascent long-distance telephone system. PW's line: ""Mourly's adventures make a delightful story that touches the heartstrings.'' (February)