SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, New York, Aug. 24, 1878  

* Inventor Thomas A. Edison
* Megaphone invention print

Taking a bit more than half of the ftpg. is an illustration of a gentleman and a few onlookers using "Edison's Megaphone". The article, which begins on the ftpg., gives the background of "ear & speaking trumpets" plus talk about Edison's invention. The continuation of the article inside includes three more illustrations. Yet another page has an illustration captioned: "A Simple Phonograph" with a related article (see). 
Additional articles, illustrations and advertisements are within.
Complete in sixteen pages, very nice condition.

Background: The August 24, 1878, issue of Scientific American stands as a monumental historical record capturing the dawn of the acoustic age, a pivotal moment when Thomas Edison was radically altering how humanity interacted with sound. By dedicating its front page to an engraving of Edison's mechanical Megaphone—a massive, tripod-mounted apparatus designed to magnify and project human speech across miles without electricity—and featuring blueprints for a "Simple Phonograph" inside, the publication documentized the transition of sound technology from theoretical science to tangible reality. The historical significance of this specific issue lies in its democratization of technology; by providing the exact dimensions and instructions for readers to construct a working tinfoil phonograph at home for a mere $1.50, Scientific American ignited a wave of amateur innovation that directly challenged corporate patent monopolies, forcing a public debate over who owned the rights to the future of sound reproduction. Ultimately, these articles framed Edison not just as an inventor of isolated gadgets, but as the architect of a new acoustic landscape that laid the essential foundation for modern audio recording, telecommunications, and long-range amplification.