Thomas Edison - (Significant Figures in World History) by Paul Israel (Hardcover)

About the Book

Thomas A. Edison: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works includes a chronology, entries detailing Edison's inventions, laboratories, business enterprises, public image including his relations with the scientific community. The bibliography includes his publications, biographi...

Book Synopsis

The most prolific inventor in American history, Thomas Edison played a major role in creating industries that have altered life around the globe: electric light and power, recorded sound and motion pictures. He also made significant innovations in telecommunications, battery technology, office machinery, the manufacture of Portland Cement, and processes for working low-grade ores. He was able to contribute to such a wide array of industries because he was not a lone inventor. At his workshops and laboratories in Newark, Menlo Park, and West Orange in New Jersey, Edison brought together teams of skilled research assistants and machinists. These teams allowed him to do more than any one person could do. In the process he transformed invention by making it part of a larger process of research, development, and commercialization that we now call innovation. That transformation--as much as any single invention--has become a crucial feature of the modern world.

Includes a detailed chronology of Edison's life and work.An introduction that provides an overview of Edison's life and work.The A-to-Z section includes three hundred encyclopedic entries on Edison's inventions, laboratories, business enterprises, public image and numerous individuals with whom he was associated.An extensive bibliography of Edison's publications and select interviews; modern, contemporaneous, and juvenile biographies; and thirteen subject areas related to Edison's work and influence.The index thoroughly cross-references the chronological and encyclopedic entries.

Review Quotes

"The preface to this biographical dictionary outlines Thomas Edison's contributions to American society--he was among the pioneers to use the innovation pipeline as a commercial venture--and the legacy the Edison enterprise left in its wake. It also discusses the fascination Americans have with Edison and the resulting works that have been published about him. There is a chronology that starts with his birth and ends with his death. This is followed by an introduction, which reads more like a traditional biography. The bulk of the work is an alphabetized dictionary with concise entries that are extensive in scope. For example, an entry outlines that Edison's wax-cylinder phonographs were used in 1889 to record Russian classical music and capture the voices of some of the most famous Russians (such as Rubinstein, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky).... [I]t is an excellent first reference for those researching Edison or his contributions." --Booklist

The preface to this biographical dictionary outlines Thomas Edison's contributions to American society--he was among the pioneers to use the innovation pipeline as a commercial venture--and the legacy the Edison enterprise left in its wake. It also discusses the fascination Americans have with Edison and the resulting works that have been published about him. There is a chronology that starts with his birth and ends with his death. This is followed by an introduction, which reads more like a traditional biography. The bulk of the work is an alphabetized dictionary with concise entries that are extensive in scope. For example, an entry outlines that Edison's wax-cylinder phonographs were used in 1889 to record Russian classical music and capture the voices of some of the most famous Russians (such as Rubinstein, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky).... [I]t is an excellent first reference for those researching Edison or his contributions.

About the Author

Paul Israel is director and general editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers.

Contributors
Louis Carlat is managing editor of the book edition of the Thomas A. Edison Papers.

Daniel Weeks is associate editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers.

Alexandra Rimer is assistant editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers.

Edward Bradley is editorial assistant of the Thomas A. Edison Papers.