What do you think?
Rate this book
Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” —Thomas Edison
Like most people who change the world, Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was not expected to do much with his life. The last of seven children, he was a frail, distractible child with bad hearing whose father thought he might be dim-witted. However, the endlessly curious Edison was a habitual inventor and voracious reader from an early age. A driven entrepreneur, at twelve he was already hawking newspapers and candy on a train while simultaneously operating stores in two train stations. These two personality traits, the businessman and the scientist, combined with a burning ambition to make Edison the most important inventor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In Edison, science writer David J. Kent (Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity) tells how the inventor:
- Feuded with other great inventors, like Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse
- Changed how the world experienced darkness with the incandescent light bulb
- Used an elephant named Topsy for a dramatic example of the power of electricity
- Established the world’s first modern technology company and first movie studio
- Was awarded over 1,000 patents in the United States alone
- Created everything from an electrographic voting machine to the phonograph
Vividly written and packed with colorful and rare illustrations, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World is the fascinating story of how a self-taught boy from Ohio who loved to invent new gadgets ended up changing the world.
Like most people who change the world, Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was not expected to do much with his life. The last of seven children, he was a frail, distractible child with bad hearing whose father thought he might be dim-witted. However, the endlessly curious Edison was a habitual inventor and voracious reader from an early age. A driven entrepreneur, at twelve he was already hawking newspapers and candy on a train while simultaneously operating stores in two train stations. These two personality traits, the businessman and the scientist, combined with a burning ambition to make Edison the most important inventor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In Edison, science writer David J. Kent (Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity) tells how the inventor:
- Feuded with other great inventors, like Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse
- Changed how the world experienced darkness with the incandescent light bulb
- Used an elephant named Topsy for a dramatic example of the power of electricity
- Established the world’s first modern technology company and first movie studio
- Was awarded over 1,000 patents in the United States alone
- Created everything from an electrographic voting machine to the phonograph
Vividly written and packed with colorful and rare illustrations, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World is the fascinating story of how a self-taught boy from Ohio who loved to invent new gadgets ended up changing the world.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published July 22, 2016
2 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
David J. Kent
8 books145 followersDavid J. Kent is an award-winning Abraham Lincoln historian and award-winning former scientist. He is the author of books on Abraham Lincoln, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison. His website is davidjkent-writer.com.
His forthcoming book, "Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours," will be released in March 2026.
His forthcoming book, "Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours," will be released in March 2026.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 6, 2016
This book is not a primer on Edison's inventions and how they work; it's not a psychological study of Thomas Edison; it's not a textbook. It's just a biography. But it's a darn good biography. Maybe it's just because I knew embarrassingly little about Edison going into it, but there seemed to be something super interesting on every page. (It's a good thing I'm done with the book, because my family is getting tired of Edison facts.) He was a fascinating and brilliant dude, so his story would probably have been great no matter who was telling it, but David J. Kent's irreverent and understated narrative really makes it.
If you love history, but don't like to have to work through a lot of dry facts to get to the interesting stuff, this is for you. The language and the concepts are easy to follow; I was able to read this with the mental attention that I devote to a beach read. The chapters are topical, but form a coherent and logical narrative.
As a side bonus, it's packed full of photos and the pages smell good. A+ all around.
(I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
If you love history, but don't like to have to work through a lot of dry facts to get to the interesting stuff, this is for you. The language and the concepts are easy to follow; I was able to read this with the mental attention that I devote to a beach read. The chapters are topical, but form a coherent and logical narrative.
As a side bonus, it's packed full of photos and the pages smell good. A+ all around.
(I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
July 27, 2017
I won this through First Reads, I was interested in it because I thought it might be a good addition to a school library. The books is beautifully produced with a high quality cover and paper. The beauty of it at first, made me concerned that it would be a fluff piece on Edison. After reading it, I think it was designed this way to resemble a website in its use of visuals to appeal to modern kids. I would say that the book is aimed at middle schoolers. I learned a lot about Edison and what this time was like for inventors. Can you believe that Ford and Edison were working on batteries for electric cars in the 1800's? I enjoyed this book about Edison, and want to read Kent's book about Tesla.
June 13, 2016
This book is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers who want to learn things about Edison not told in other biographies. Packed with colorful and rare illustrations, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World is visually stunning and the writing is light and easy.
Beginning with his upbringing in Milan, Ohio, and Port Huron, Michigan, the book explores how the insatiable curiosity of "Little Al" made his father wonder if he was a bit dimwitted and led his first teacher to call him "addled." Self-teaching through experiment and reading, young Edison quickly shows his inventiveness and business acumen, leaving his doubters well behind at an early age.
Chapters examine his teen years while the Civil War raged, his early improvements to telegraphs, and his contributions to the art of invention. Edison, now called "Tom," rises to celebrity status with the telephone and telegraph, explores the world in his efforts to build a better light bulb, and fights the intriguing War of the Currents against rivals Westinghouse and Tesla. Along the way he acquires two wives, six children, and friendships with some of the greatest names in business history.
Not slowing down as he aged, Edison becomes a movie mogul, an iron ore magnate, builds houses out of concrete, becomes a botanical rubber expert, writes notes for a science fiction novel, and accomplishes much, much more before passing away in his sleep at the ripe old age of 84.
Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World tells the story of a man who has left a legacy that few can hope to equal. He was a great deal more than people know, perhaps in both good and bad ways. All are laid out in easy to read language and with spectacular photos, cartoons, and drawings in a format that blends the best of vivid writing with a graphical novel feel.
I am the author of this book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. See also my earlier book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.
Beginning with his upbringing in Milan, Ohio, and Port Huron, Michigan, the book explores how the insatiable curiosity of "Little Al" made his father wonder if he was a bit dimwitted and led his first teacher to call him "addled." Self-teaching through experiment and reading, young Edison quickly shows his inventiveness and business acumen, leaving his doubters well behind at an early age.
Chapters examine his teen years while the Civil War raged, his early improvements to telegraphs, and his contributions to the art of invention. Edison, now called "Tom," rises to celebrity status with the telephone and telegraph, explores the world in his efforts to build a better light bulb, and fights the intriguing War of the Currents against rivals Westinghouse and Tesla. Along the way he acquires two wives, six children, and friendships with some of the greatest names in business history.
Not slowing down as he aged, Edison becomes a movie mogul, an iron ore magnate, builds houses out of concrete, becomes a botanical rubber expert, writes notes for a science fiction novel, and accomplishes much, much more before passing away in his sleep at the ripe old age of 84.
Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World tells the story of a man who has left a legacy that few can hope to equal. He was a great deal more than people know, perhaps in both good and bad ways. All are laid out in easy to read language and with spectacular photos, cartoons, and drawings in a format that blends the best of vivid writing with a graphical novel feel.
I am the author of this book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. See also my earlier book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.
March 29, 2017
Having grown up in Edison Township, where one of Edison's famous labs was set up in Menlo Park, I've always been interested in the great inventor's life and achievements. Edison has of late become a whipping boy accused of falsely claiming inventions and generally having been a butthole not worthy of Tesla's increasingly sparkling image. All this Edison-bashing ignores the fact that Edison invented something we take for granted today - the concept of a research laboratory. Before Edison, ALL research and development of products was done in-house. The importance of the R&D concept, pioneered by Edison, is critical in understanding his titanic contributions to modern society. Yes Edison was extremely hands-on at times but he was also often a brilliant "idea man," and more importantly an organizer and brilliant salesman capable of attracting the finest minds in science and engineering and even more importantly the financing/investment needed to produce, manufacture, and distribute real-life products that made people's lives better - Tesla couldn't do ANY of that. This book is richly illustrated (always a favorite of mine) and accessible (that just means it's easy to "get through" and understand, another favorite thing) and full of interesting information about The Wizard of Menlo Park. (As a side note, the acceptance in Edison's lifetime of his abhorrent treatment of animals was absolutely tragic.)
February 24, 2018
Great book. I have a new outlook on Edison as a great inventor and businessman. His perseverance was incredible. Enjoyed the book and the pictures.
April 18, 2019
Visually rich and very informative.
August 5, 2024
Meh...not necessarily the book but Edison. Just a bit ...meh.
Could do, don't have to, meh
Could do, don't have to, meh
December 30, 2016
I had the privilege of reading the manuscript and an advanced copy of this amazing book and enjoyed every page of it. It does a wonderful job of introducing this great inventor, not just the many well known inventions, but also the man himself - his upbringing and teenage years, his marriages and children and friends, his personality and work habits. All of these were effectively brought to life through the well written fluid text and various photos and illustrations. This book would be a perfect gift to anyone (especially the young generation) who is interested in inventors and scientists.
The book is still a month away from being published. Apparently the person who gave a one-star rating with no comment did it arbitrarily without even seeing or reading the book. Therefore the rating is totally unfounded and irresponsible and should be ignored. I hope Goodreads had a way of discrediting people like this.
The book is still a month away from being published. Apparently the person who gave a one-star rating with no comment did it arbitrarily without even seeing or reading the book. Therefore the rating is totally unfounded and irresponsible and should be ignored. I hope Goodreads had a way of discrediting people like this.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews