As we were going to press on this month’s issue dedicated to technology and wired living, word came from Bonhams (www.bonhams.com) of a September 30 sale in Knightsbridge of 24 extraordinary prewar televisions—thought to be the largest private collection in the world. The owner, Michael Bennett-Levy, is the grandson of Dr. Leonard Levy, whose research on phosphors contributed to television, radar, and x-ray technology in early-20th-century Britain. Bennett-Levy lives the life of the kooky collector: He resides in what Bonhams describes as a "curiosity-packed" converted tower near Edinburgh, and has authored two books on early television. In addition to his passion for TVs is his penchant for examples of what he calls early technology: mechanical music devices, typewriters, microscopes, telescopes, magic lanterns, irons, and diesel engines, all of which will also be available at the sale.

One highlight is a 1939 HMV Type 1850 TV and wireless consolette with a whopping 14-inch screen (right), housed in a 49-inch-high butterfly-veneered walnut cabinet, expected to go for between $2,500 and $4,000. Another curiosity on offer is a 1937 Murphy mirror-lid A42V TV (left), which features a 12-inch vertical screen embedded in the body and viewed through, of all things, a pop-up mirror that reflects the screen image somewhat awkwardly into one’s living room. It is expected to grab between $4,000 and $5,000.

These are cherished relics for one simple fact: They are charming examples of technological advances of long ago, representing our early forays into the still seemingly limitless world of technology. I hope you enjoy some of the modern-day advances we have in store for you in this issue, and if you find yourself asking what our star property this month—a $15 million Frank Lloyd Wright textile-block fixer—has to do with technology, may I offer this: nothing, except its potential to provide a quiet balance in an otherwise electrified world.