The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World

The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World | Randall E. Stross | Uncredited Inventory

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The Wizard of Menl...

	The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World Randall E. Stross Three Rivers Press, 2008 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Thomas Edison?s greatest invention?
His own fame.

Starting with the first public demonstrations of the phonograph in 1878 and extending through the development of incandescent light and the first motion-picture cameras, Thomas Edison?s name became emblematic of all the wonder and promise of the emerging age of technological marvels. But this critical biography of the man who is arguably the most famous of all Americans provides a fuller view of Edison?s life and times?revealing not only how he worked, but how he managed his own fame, becoming the first great celebrity of the modern age.

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Nobody Beats the Wiz!

This enjoyable biography focuses on:
1.) Thomas Edison's various achievements as an inventor.
2.) How Edison's inventions led to an ostensible raise in the standard of living in the United States and eventually Europe.
3.) How Edison became and lived as a celebrity because of his achievements.

If you like reading about heroic producers of the industrial revolution, then I highly recommend adding this book to your reading list.

Even the anecdotes about Thomas Edison's (initial) failures are fun to read. For example, I particularly liked the story of how J.P. Morgan volunteered to have his study be one of the first rooms to be wired with electricity. Eager to bask in his latest highly anticipated investment, Morgan turned on the incandescent light next to his desk to do a little evening reading. Unfortunately for him, as he began to read, his study caught fire, eventually leading to his house suffering substantial damage.

Did J.P. Morgan divest himself of Thomas Edison? Absolutely not! He merely invited Thomas Edison over to witness the charred remains of his study and firmly inquired if he could install the wiring correctly the second time. Such was the earned reputation of Thomas Edison. J.P. Morgan knew he was investing in something big. Also, this story also revealed a great deal about his character. Instead of dwelling on his serious mistake, Thomas Edison focused on how he could rectify the situation and improve his invention. But I digress.

A great read!

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Uncredited Inventory

This book provides an amazing look at the Wizard of Menlo park. My favorite portions of the book did not revolve around his inventions, his genius, his marketing of himself, the way he breached the barrier to become one of the first 'superstars' of the media. My favorite things were the little unknown ideas which have taken on life in my time. As I am reading the book I am thinking, hey, Edison invented the idea of Netflix, Sesame Street, and more. But the basic premise behind these ideas didn't come to fruition in his lifetime. That's the beauty of his genius. He saw a future that no one else did -- despite his stubbornness and frequent bad business decisions.

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A Book About A Great Genius

There is no doubt that Thomas Edison is one of the greatest minds of history and the greatest inventor that ever lived. Along with this title of being "The Greatest" comes the burdens of his celebrity which are discussed in depth in this biography. Perhaps he wasn't the best businessman and in his later years and devoted more time to his persona, yet he also devoted more time to his family towards the end and thus completed his precious cycle on this Earth as both wizard and human being. The author goes into great detail on the business failings of Edison, perhaps a bit too much, hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it? However, the qualities that really stand upon reading this work are the foresight, courage, determination and work ethic that Edison possessed as well as an ability to overcome the limitations of his early disability, family problems, financial challenges and stories of even having some Hollywood inventions stolen from him. Thomas Edison's life is a lesson learned for all of us on just what the human spirit can accomplish in spite of both personal and professional deterents. I both respected and admired Thomas Edison even more after reading of his challenges knowing that no one could have accomplished what this great man did then or now. There will never be another like him and that is his legacy.

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Fun / Interesting

I did not realize how little I knew about Thomas Alva Edison - until reading this book. This is a good biography of Edison, but deals more about his rise to fame and how that whole process happened. The author weaved in and out of a good biography with some editorial tangents, but overall this is a good book.

Coming out of reading this book I really appreciate Edison, and realize that he should have stuck to inventing and left the leadership and management of his companies to people who were good and leadership and management. Classic micromanager who was not good at leading and managing. But, one heck of an inventor.

JVD

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Unbalanced

I feel this book has great stories about Edison interjected with supporting documentation over a linear defined timeline. Despite all that, I don't find this book engaging. It's hard to get into a flow with this book as the author is more matter-of-fact in a style more suitable to a term paper than a non-fiction book.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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