Science Art: Cover, Introduction to Transistors & Transistor Projects, 1972.

Scientific illustration of transistors, as a piece of modern art from a 1972 Radio Shack instructional book.
Scientific illustration of transistors, as a piece of modern art from a 1972 Radio Shack instructional book.

This is… well, let me just quote the preface:

This book is intended to show the electronics experimenter how the transistor was developed, how it is manufactured, and how it works. The heart of the book is the description of transistor operation, for the experimenter who masters these fundamentals is well on the way to being able to design his own electronic circuits.

It’s also something of a book of praise for the tiny electronic component that “made possible everything from practical space flight to hearing aids small enough to fit completely in the ear” and “integrated circuits, light-emitting diodes, silicon controlled rectifiers, and scores of other semiconductors.”

I found it here, on archive.org.

Oh, Radio Shack – your glory days were truly glorious. Would that the home tinkerer have access to such wisdom and optimism today.