Zenith Stratosphere: Behind The Dial

David Wilson’s handsome site is obsessed with Zenith's top-of-the-line 1934 console radio, which cost a whopping $750 at the height of the Depression (at the time, you could buy a Buick for that, while the average home radio cost about $100). Not surprisingly, only 350 of these walnut, African satinwood, Australian laurelwood, and Carpathian elm radios were produced. Wilson’s site includes photos, of course, as well as essays on the origins of the radio’s name and the rivalry between Zenith and competitors such as Scott. You can even listen to old radio shows featuring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Abbott and Costello, and Roy Rogers.