12 OCTOBER 1962, Page 17

DOMESTIC UTILITY

Sut,—Mr. Kenneth Adam did me more than justice (in your admirable 7,000th anniversary issue) and this minor correction is offered as an act of justice to someone else.

I do hold that the critical significance of radio in what is called 'the communications revolution' rises from its essential characteristic, that for the first time in history it brought entertainment into the home. But the phrase 'a domestic utility' was used in a remarkable prophetic statement by (the then young) David Sarnoff (now General Sarnoff and Chairman of the Board of RCA) who, long before radio became the plaything of 'hams' and the centre of millions of households, described the box in every home from which music and news would come, a 'domestic utility,' in fact.

GILBERT SELDES

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 4