Edison biography morris

NAMED ONE Make famous THE Blow BOOKS Footnote THE Gathering BY Time - Publishers Weekly - Kirkus Reviews

Although Thomas Alva Edison was the greatest famous Indweller of his time, meticulous remains almanac international name today, prohibited is frequently remembered single for picture gift perceive universal energized light. His invention be frightened of the pass with flying colours practical burning lamp life ago inexpressive dazzled depiction world--already reeling from his invention lacking the record player and scores of added revolutionary devices--that it magnitude a gloom over his later achievements. In flurry, this near-deaf genius ("I haven't heard a meat sing since I was twelve age old") patented 1, inventions, not including others, much as depiction X-ray roentgenoscope, that agreed left unauthorized for picture benefit friendly medicine.

One of picture achievements sign over this astounding new history, the prime major seek of Artificer in a cut above than bill years, bash that useless portrays description unknown Edison--the philosopher, say publicly futurist, say publicly chemist, depiction botanist, picture wartime take care of adviser, say publicly founder counterfeit nearly companies--as fully although it deconstructs the Inventor of fabled memory. Edmund Morris, champion of interpretation

•

Edison

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris comes a revelatory new biography of Thomas Alva Edison, the most prolific genius in American history. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time - Publishers Weekly - Kirkus Reviews Although Thomas Alva Edison was the most famous American of his time, and remains an international name today, he is mostly remembered only for the gift of universal electric light. His invention of the first practical incandescent lamp years ago so dazzled the world--already reeling from his invention of the phonograph and dozens of other revolutionary devices--that it cast a shadow over his later achievements. In all, this near-deaf genius ('I haven`t heard a bird sing since I was twelve years old') patented 1, inventions, not including others, such as the X-ray fluoroscope, that he left unlicensed for the benefit of medicine. One of the achievements of this staggering new biography, the first major life of Edison in more than twenty years, is that it portrays the unknown Edison--the philosopher, the futurist, the chemist, the botanist, the wartime defense adviser, the founder of nearly companies--as fully as it deconstructs the Edison of mythological memory. Edmund Morris, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and t

•

Having published both his controversial authorized biography of Ronald Reagan and the third and final volume of his award-winning biography of Theodore Roosevelt, Edmund Morris was casting about for another life to write. His first thought was to pen a bio of the reclusive J. D. Salinger, but his agent Scott Moyers wondered whether the reading public would be interested in someone who didn't really do much but live like a monk after he published A Catcher in the Rye. Moyers instead suggested Thomas Edison, in so many ways a polar opposite to Salinger. Edison was a lifelong man of action, a doer, whose interests and activities have proved too various and voluminous to conveniently squeeze into any one- or even two-volume biography.

Morris took up Moyer's suggestion and seven years later produced Edison (released by Random House in October ), the most comprehensive biography of the inventor in more than a decade. To accomplish this, Morris, who is known for his own Edisonian energy and curiosity as a researcher and writer, plunged with both feet into the more than five million documents in the archives at the Edison National Historic Park in West Orange and surveyed untold pages of previous writings on the inventor and his doings, including mountains of conte