Edison: His Life and Inventions

A thorough, authorized biography traces Thomas Edison’s life from childhood and early telegraph work through his laboratory years and commercial enterprises, recounting family background, education, travels, and the development of his research practices. Narrative chapters document experiments, business decisions, and the organization of his workshops, while an extensive appendix offers technical explanations of specific devices and systems—telegraph and telephone improvements, the phonograph, dynamos and storage batteries, electric railways, cement and ore-milling innovations—and lists patents. Drawing on close cooperation with the subject, the authors combine anecdote, technical description, and chronological narrative to show how invention was pursued and applied.