The British Library The British Library Crescent wire recorder and record deck: view of the magnetic recording and play back head 13XNSAX1990X-0002 13 nsa 1990 In the centre of the picture, under the slotted cream metal cover, is the magnetic recording and playback head. It is just possible to see the thin recording wire going past the head. The head was designed to move up and down so as to spool the wire neatly onto the takeup. Made by Crescent Industries, Chicago, USA, in the late 1940s, this is a record player combined with a magnetic recorder using wire. The record turntable doubles as a takeup spool for the wire. It was possible to record from an external microphone or from a record. Playback was via the generously sized speaker at the front of the case. This particular machine in the collection was originally purchased from a department store in Dublin, Ireland. Wire was a very unsatisfactory recording medium as it could not be edited and tangled easily. By the early 1950s, magnetic recording had moved to plastic tape, hence this type of domestic-market wire recorder is a rarity. Dimensions: Width: 360 mm Height: 460 mm Depth: 650 mm image Magnetic recorders Crescent Industries, Chicago 1948