THOMAS EDISON, American Inventor

by Roselyn and Ray Eldon Hiebert Hiebert ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1969

The poor-boy cliche that threatens the first few pages is early overtaken by thorough analyis in this well-tempered biography of Thomas Edison and the brain on which the N.Y. Times placed a $15 billion cash value. The virtuoso inventor is presented as a practical scientist, a technological revolutionary as much in his approach to experiment (team research in a modern lab) as in his achievements. The resourcefulness that characterized the deaf man Who developed the phonograph and refined the telephone failed him in business dealings -- he was always embroiled in suits and counter-suits for accepting conflict-of-interest commissions -- but his sense of humor and promotional flair never failed him. Examples of his wit generate alternating currents of laughter between the technical lines that detail each invention; and the many photographs are meaningful and personable. What results is a high-voltage participatory understanding of the roundly human genius of Mr. Edison unequaled by the other juvenile treatments.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Watts

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION