[borski]

Thank you! That was a super-helpful response. I wasn't asking because I disagreed, but because I didn't fully understand what you were getting at. Now I do. Thanks!

[interpunct]

I wasn't trying to be snarky. Here is a 7 volume "A history of engineering and science in the Bell System"

https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/1460436

The first volume 1875-1925 is over 1000 pages. I'm telling you, Bell was an important organization with respect to modern sociology.

[greenyoda]

Volume 1 of this book can be read at archive.org:

https://archive.org/details/bellsystem_HistoryOfEngineeringA...

Another interesting book is "Engineering and operations in the Bell System", which can be borrowed at archive.org:

https://archive.org/details/engineeringopera0000attb