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

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!

I was always under the impression that Edison was a consummate genius: inventor of light bulbs, electricity, phonograph, film camera/projector and who knows what else. Turns out he was more of a promoter than a dyed-in-the-wool inventor/genius. He did not invent the light bulb--only perfected. He wired city blocks with DC electricity when AC proved to be safer and more universally accepted. His phonograph was kind of a bust compared to competing technologies. I don't think he made a dime with his movie-making gear. Despite what the author claims, he did not invent the modern world. He had hundreds of people working for him. For whatever successes Edison can claim, it was those behind the scene workers who carried him on their shoulders. Still, I enjoyed this book and recommend it. It's readable and captures well the spirit of the times.

For a person with great achievement, biographies often ignore and intentionally or politely miss out the pitfalls, mistakes, or blunders (s)he made (in some way or by some view). Not this book, this book gives a good account of who Edison is, as a real person ( ok, people who know him personally probably no longer live now but ....).It is easy to adore or idol Edison for his pushing human civilization forward but it is also awakening to know his work ethics, practice, opinion ( right or wrong with after thought), and personal life. This book does that.However, never just read one biography and certainly not just autobiography :-) Reader can have a more broad and objective ( if that's what you are looking for) assessment on a person's life and legacy by surveying a few books. Best, if they are oriented at different aspects and give diverse opinions. For Edison, include this book in your reading.

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

One day it happened; I finaly decided that before I die, I wanted to acquire more than a rudimetary knowlege about a few of the "world" famous Americans of the past. On my personal short list was Thomas Edison. My self-imposed rule, was to select only one well-written text to read, as that would allow more time for more "legends". I am so pleased I chose, "The Wizard of Menlo Park." Excellently written, I now feel that I understand his genius as well as the imperfect man that harbored it. Upon finishing the book, I had an even deeper respect for this hard-working, driven inventor. I then shut my book, turned off my electric light, bowed my head, and thanked God that Thomas Edison existed and made America and the world a more wonderful place to exist for all who followed.

Book arrived in perfect condition.

The book entertainingly sets out the life of Thomas A Edison as an inventor. He dispenses with the stereotype of Edison puttering in his lab and voila, discovers the phonograph and the electric light. We see that Edison was driven by the process of inventing and that once the invention was done, even in its crudest form, Edison lost interest in it. He also totally failed on certain projects he started: Electric Cars, Iron Ore extraction. And he had a lot of help from others that are mentioned here but are not known by most people. This obsession with process also made him a truly lousy businessman and he generally failed to reep the economic benefits from every thing he invented, making him, in effect, a tragic figure. Well written from beginning to end.

Bought for DH who kept quoting it. Very detailed, insightful and interesting. Like most geniuses, Edison had his distinctive quirks and this book discusses them with other details from his life. DH said it is readable unlike some biographies.

I've read a number of biographies and biographical sketches of Thomas A. Edison. Most of these concentrate on the man's inventive genius and often provide many interesting technical details on his inventions and on the related technical problems. However, this biography has a rather different twist: it focuses mainly on Edison the businessman and his many shortcomings in this aspect of his life. He is portrayed as a genius with an insatiable passion for laboratory work but desperately lacking the necessary flair for how to succeed in the business world. Edison's private life is briefly discussed, including his relationships with his wives and his sons. The writing style is clear, friendly and engaging, thus making this book difficult to put down. This book is quite successful in depicting the ways in which Edison's instincts were often seriously at odds with the public's way of thinking during these times of mind-boggling new technological innovations. This book can be enjoyed by anyone. But those with a passionate fascination for this period and its greater-than-life figures are in for a particular treat.

good book, but a bit too much spent writing on his other relations,

This book chronicling the life of Edison is a masterpiece.It shows the world as it existed before virtually every modern invention that we take for granted. Things like electricity, the phonograph and movies. It gives an unbiased look at Edison and presents not only his achievements but also his blunders.Highly recommended.

Great book, easy to read and details his accomplishments without going into too much detail. Good overview of his business accumen as well. Worth the read.