This book introduces the history of the invention of telephones, including its roots in the telegraph, inventors Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson, Emil Berliner and Thomas A. Edison's improved transmitters, and Japan's introduction of cellular telephone service. Other chapters delve into the parts and systems that make telephone technology possible, from handsets and dialers to transmitters and receivers, as well as features such as caller identification (caller ID) and ringtones. Other sections cover different kinds of telephones, including rotary dial telephones, touch-tone telephones, cordless telephones, cellular telephones, camera phones, the use of copper and fiber-optic telephone cables, and the operators, repairers, telecommunications experts, salespeople, and installers who work with telephones. Fun facts discuss Rutherford B. Hayes as the first president to have a telephone installed in the White House, inventor Elisha Grey's attempt to file a telephone patent, why traditional telephones work during power outages, and the way cell phone towers can blend into the landscape. Full-color photographs, informative diagrams, glossary words in bold, a graphic timeline, and an index enhance this engaging, easy-to-ready text about telephones, a prevalent, portable everyday invention that is vital to international business and the everyday lives of people across the globe. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.