The discovery and development of shortwave technology during the 1920s and 1930s permitted radio stations worldwide to transmit their programs over long distances for the first time, and the thrill of hearing faraway broadcasts produced a dedicated American audience. Developments in shortwave radio from its inception through the war years were covered in the authors On the Short Waves, 19231945: Broadcast Listening in the Pioneer Days of Radio (McFarland, 1999; paperback 2007). This book picks up the story in 1945, with the postwar resumption of organized shortwave listening. The companion volume, Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today (McFarland, 2008), focuses on the worlds shortwave stations. All three volumes are richly illustrated and indexed, and feature extensive notes.