Edison

By: Edmund Morris

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

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 140 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 1,093 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 250 companies—as fully as it deconstructs the Edison of mythological memory. Edmund Morris, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, brings to the task all the interpretive acuity and literary elegance that distinguished his previous biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and Ludwig van Beethoven. A trained musician, Morris is especially well equipped to recount Edison’s fifty-year obsession with recording technology and his pioneering advances in the synchronization of movies and sound. Morris sweeps aside conspiratorial theories positing an enmity between Edison and Nikola Tesla and presents proof of their mutually admiring, if wary, relationship.

Enlightened by seven years of research among the five million pages of original documents preserved in Edison’s huge laboratory at West Orange, New Jersey, and privileged access to family papers still held in trust, Morris is also able to bring his subject to life on the page—the adored yet autocratic and often neglectful husband of two wives and father of six children. If the great man who emerges from it is less a sentimental hero than an overwhelming force of nature, driven onward by compulsive creativity, then Edison is at last getting his biographical due.

Critic reviews

Praise for the Biographies of Edmund Morris

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“One of those rare works that is both definitive for the period it covers and fascinating to read for sheer entertainment.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A towering biography.”—Time

Theodore Rex

“A masterpiece . . . A great president has finally found a great biographer.”—The Washington Post

“As a literary work on Theodore Roosevelt, it is unlikely ever to be surpassed. It is one of the great histories of the American presidency, worthy of being on a shelf alongside Henry Adams’s volumes on Jefferson and Madison.”—The Times Literary Supplement

Colonel Roosevelt

“Monumental . . . Morris is a stylish storyteller with an irresistible subject.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Hair-raising . . . awe-inspiring . . . a worthy close to a trilogy sure to be regarded as one of the best studies not just of any president, but of any American.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Interesting biography of one of the greatest inventors

I have always been interested in Thomas Edison and have read previous biographies over the years. Mr Morris does bring up through his research many “new” interesting facts especially with reference to Edison’s interactions with other greats of the time including Henry Ford and Tesla. It does take a while to orient your traditional thinking about biographies as Morris starts at the end of life and works backward which was disconcerting at times. Overall, very good.

My mind was wired shut on the life of Al.

Wired shut in the case of my fixed knowledge on this man. Amazing story and truth about life.

The book is a test for the reader (and listener)

After doing my due diligence searching for a worthy Edison biography, only one....this one..., stood out as worthy of my time. But what to make of the overwhelming criticism in reviews regarding its presentation in reverse chronological order? This isn't a Seinfeld episode, this is a 25-hour commitment to an American icon.

But in the spirit of Edison, who was a consummate problem-solver, the answer seemed obvious. Don't feel obligated to follow the book as presented. In fact, it's so blatantly ridiculous to present it this way, that it must be a test. Do as Edison would, look at the problem, and solve it. In this case, it means reading it (or listening) by starting at the end and going backward - chapters 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, prologue, epilogue. Audible does a great job of dividing the chapters and even titles them for easy navigation.

If you do it this way, all the criticism vanishes and you will have an enjoyable read.

Balanced History of One of the Greatest Inventors

An excellent, balanced history of Thomas Alva Edison that explored his great achievements as well as his failures and quirks. The author takes a "reverse leapfrog" approach in telling the story. While that approach provided a creative perspective, I found it sometimes difficult to remember the chronology of events. I relied upon my memory from previous Edison biographies to help keep the chronology straight. I highly recommend Morris' biography of Edison, but I recommend reading at least one other Edison biography first.

Lots of Interesting Footnotes

Edison has long been portrayed as the villain in the "electricity wars" while this book doesn't completely dispel that moniker, it does provide a unique, humanitarian look at the man himself.