In this section, I have listed some of the books and other publications that have been helpful (or at least entertaining) to me. I have provided links to items that are available on line. This is a work in progress and I will update it as I have time. My collection is certainly not comprehensive and if anyone knows of a vital item that I'm missing, please let me know.
Henney, Keith, Radio Engineering Handbook, Third Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, In., 1941: Comprehensive account of the technical side of radio. Some background in vacuum-tube electronics and math is very helpful.
Nilson, Arthur and Hornung, J.L., Practical Radio Communication, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. 1943: Covers much of the same ground as the above title but has quite a bit of information on equipment. For example, there are a lot of fold-out diagrams, including a circuit diagram of a Western Electric 23-C Speech Input console (I wish I had one).
Watson, Herbert M., Welch, Herbert E., Eby, George S., Undertanding Radio, Understanding Radio, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1940: This is a textbook on vacuum-tube electronics, specifically as it applies to radio. I worked my way through it and learned a lot about how this old equipment works, although I still wouldn't consider myself an expert. It starts at the very beginning, with very simple circuits and ends up with shortwave equipment you can build yourself.
Abbott, Waldo, Handbook of Broadcasting, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1941: Sort of an introduction to the young man looking to start a career in radio. A survey of they production side of the business. Probably my favorite production book.
Carlile, John S., Production and Direction of Radio Programs, Prentice-Hall Inc., 1939: A textbook that covers the non-technical side of radio. It touches on the roles of the variuos station personnel, typical studio set-ups for different types of programs. rules and regulations, radio speech, sound effects, and more. An excellent book if you're into this stuff. Later editions are available
Crews, Albert, Radio Production Directing, Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1944: Similar to the Carlile book but not as comprehensive. This one concentrates more on production. Still, it has a great deal of good information.
Lazarfeld, Paul F., and Kendall, Patricia R., Radio Listening in America, Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1948: A compilation of the results from a survey conducted by The University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center. Interesting, but really only useful if you want deep background material on radio audiences in the immediate post-war period. I can't remember where or why I picked this up.
McGill, Earle, Radio Directing, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc, 1941: A very, very good book. Mr. McGill was a producer and director at CBS so his words carry some authority. This one deserves a place in your library. The pdf file is huge (48 MB) so I hope you have a broadband connection.
Wylie, Max, Radio Writing, Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1939: Mr. Wylie was the Director of Script and Continuity at CBS. His book is full of great material on script production. He covers everyting from dramatic plays to continuity. Highly recommended.
Dunning, John, The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, Oxford University Press, 1998: The Bible of OTR. This is the one book you should have if you're interested in old-time radio programs. He lists entries for most of the programs you are likely to find, usually with information on the cast and crew, air dates, and production history. In many instances the write-ups run for several pages.
Maltin, Leonard, The Great American Broadcast, Dutton, 1997: A highly entertaining (if not always perfectly accurate) homage to the Golden age radio programs. If you can find a copy of this book, buy it. It's a great read.
Settel, Irving, A Pictorial History of Radio, Grosset & Dunlap, 1967: Just what it sounds like. A heavily illustrated history of the Golden Age.
Type 76-C Studio Consolette, Engineering Products Department, Radio Corporation of America: The original OEM manual for my console. Absolutely essential. It clearly explains how everything works. It also contains detailed wiring diagrams, schematics, and parts lists.
Type 70-D Transcription Turntable, Engineering Products Department, Radio Corporation of America: The original OEM manual for the 70-D. I don't have the manual yet for my 70-C2 but the 70-D is nearly identical. The differences are mostly cosmetic, so this manual is still extremely useful.
Editors, Popular Science Magazine, Radio for the Millions, Popular Science Publishing, Inc, 1945: A compilation of "how-to" articles from Popular Science Magazine. More than eighty projects, mostly receivers but a lot of other stuff as well. If you are interested in trying your tube-electronic skills, there may be something here to interest you.
Sill, Jerome, The Radio Station, George W. Stewart, Publisher, Inc., 1946: Mostly about running a radio station from a station manager's perspective. Really not as interesting as I had hoped.