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Edison: A Biography
Regarded as the classic standard biography on Thomas Edison. It is the only biography written in the last 40 years to be recommended by the official voice of the caretakers of the Edison Laboratory National Monument in New Jersey which houses all of Edison's original records, sketches, notes, correspondence and memoranda. Depicts Edison as a pivotal figure in America's economic and industrial revolution success and at the same time as a human being, including his exploitative and, at times, crude qualities.
511 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 6, 2018
An absolutely amazing biography: wise, deep, fair, perspicuous, learned, humorous, gentle but provocative. One of the most masterful biographies in the English language. Edison the man was much more interesting than Edison the icon.
December 25, 2025
Except for glossing over naming the lab tech that figured out the filament for the light bulb. Also the patient for moving pictures caused lawsuits...It has a nice collection of pictures
January 28, 2026
Surprisingly readable for a biography published in 1959, exhaustively researched. Makes a compelling case for Edison’s immense importance to the development of modern life and technology. Understandably, but sometimes frustratingly, the book focuses far more on Edison’s work, both inventive and business-wise, than on his personal life. We get only glimpses of the man, and at times Josephson seems to present obviously apocryphal or exaggerated stories as if they were fact. There’s also a certain degree of hagiography here. Josephson both actively defends Edison against criticism, sometimes drawing conclusions without citing evidence, and at other times, moves quickly past unpleasant areas, like Edison’s labor practices and abysmal parenting. Still, a thorough and often moving account of Edison’s life, full of fascinating detail that gets left out of textbooks.
October 21, 2024
I like Westinghouse more.
January 30, 2012
Even though I read the Reader's Digest condensed edition (160 pages, ISBN 0895772590), this was still a great read. I had no idea how much of an absolute genius this man was. Far from just perfecting the light bulb (others had experimented with the concept; he made it work, and practically)he also invented the phonograph, the motion picture camera (his first motion pictures had sound! How or why the "silent movies" went backward I don't know), the entire electric generating plant system, the mimeograph, and dozens of other things, as well as improving the telegraph and the telephone (you had to yell 2 or 3 times into Alexander Graham Bell's static-filled device, but after Edison worked on it, it performed like ours today). Toward the end of his life, his many businesses were making over $20 million dollars a year. Not bad for a guy who was fired several times early in life.
There is, however, a down side to this story. While Edison's first wife had been a Sunday school teacher, he himself "cared nothing for church". Some time after she died of typhoid, he married again, this second wife having had in her youth "a liking for charity and Sunday school work". Edison however was an "agnostic" and "not much for religion". Days before he passed away on October 18, 1931 someone asked him if "he had thought of a life hereafter. 'It does not matter', he replied in a low voice, 'No one knows'." One wonders if he thinks differently now.
There is, however, a down side to this story. While Edison's first wife had been a Sunday school teacher, he himself "cared nothing for church". Some time after she died of typhoid, he married again, this second wife having had in her youth "a liking for charity and Sunday school work". Edison however was an "agnostic" and "not much for religion". Days before he passed away on October 18, 1931 someone asked him if "he had thought of a life hereafter. 'It does not matter', he replied in a low voice, 'No one knows'." One wonders if he thinks differently now.
April 10, 2020
Arguably, Thos. A. Edison was more important to the advancement of science and to the modern standard of living more than anyone else; unlike Albert Einstein but closer in style to Michael Faraday, he was an empiricist, relying on lots (and lots) of brute force testing to reach each invention (over 1,000 of them). Simplicists of history give him credit for the lightbulb, but his abilities as a polymath are truly documented in this book. Beyond electromagnetism and physics, Edison is written here to have been involved with everything from motion picture entertainment (before Walt Disney), botany, chemistry, new manufacturing quality techniques before lean manufacturing and Six Sigma and an array of experiments that were remarkably ahead of his time.
Edison has a cornucopia of biographies out there, and so when I began doing research on him (as most inventors or businesspeople should), I had to make a decision on which one to read. It's impractical to read everything, and his Wikipedia entry doesn't come close to documenting much about his methods (nor) his paradigm for inventiveness. This book is from the late 1950s and was acclaimed in 1960 with literary honors, and it's timeline against his life puts it in perspective more accurately than, say, a contemporary writing would be able to do. Factually, very few people are alive now that were alive concurrently with his age of invention, and so having a book written by an excellent biographer from the 1950s allows us to disregard legend built up during and well after his life, while focusing on what was uncovered after his death. Without a doubt, there's a lot of mythology surrounding him, so I really needed as truthful of a biography that I could find, and this one fit the bill perfectly.
His method should be taught but it's not lost to time. In summation:
1. Document the problem, in your own words, as succinctly as possible.
2. Immerse yourself in the subject with up-to-date knowledge of known solutions
3. Resolve each step in it's own time, while documenting failures, experimenting frequently with new ideas, and cross-pollinate ideas from other sources to "invent" a solution.
These steps aren't explicit and are reminiscent of what gets taught for a junior high science fair, yet our business leaders, designers, public office holders and thought leaders miss these steps sometimes entirely.
For businesses, inventors and thought leaders, it's clear who wins between the theorists (Einstein) and empiricists (Edison) in my view. Commercial success is required in order to further fund experimentation (R&D) in other areas. Edison taught us all that it's not the brightest among us who make a better world; it is those willing to put in the hard work.
Lastly, in this world where the literati control much of the content available in printed form, this reminds us that in the end tenacity can always beat out talent every day. Resolving to solve issues within public education, this is something that should be not only taught but engrained.
I highly recommend this read. There are a lot of references to other people who aren't contemporarily known in 2020, so there were a few people I had to look up online to digest a synopsis before I could really immerse myself into the narrative of his life and his methods. But it is fun to do - as reading should be a fun exercise for anyone anyway - and it brings a broader perspective to his life than reading it sans research .
Edison has a cornucopia of biographies out there, and so when I began doing research on him (as most inventors or businesspeople should), I had to make a decision on which one to read. It's impractical to read everything, and his Wikipedia entry doesn't come close to documenting much about his methods (nor) his paradigm for inventiveness. This book is from the late 1950s and was acclaimed in 1960 with literary honors, and it's timeline against his life puts it in perspective more accurately than, say, a contemporary writing would be able to do. Factually, very few people are alive now that were alive concurrently with his age of invention, and so having a book written by an excellent biographer from the 1950s allows us to disregard legend built up during and well after his life, while focusing on what was uncovered after his death. Without a doubt, there's a lot of mythology surrounding him, so I really needed as truthful of a biography that I could find, and this one fit the bill perfectly.
His method should be taught but it's not lost to time. In summation:
1. Document the problem, in your own words, as succinctly as possible.
2. Immerse yourself in the subject with up-to-date knowledge of known solutions
3. Resolve each step in it's own time, while documenting failures, experimenting frequently with new ideas, and cross-pollinate ideas from other sources to "invent" a solution.
These steps aren't explicit and are reminiscent of what gets taught for a junior high science fair, yet our business leaders, designers, public office holders and thought leaders miss these steps sometimes entirely.
For businesses, inventors and thought leaders, it's clear who wins between the theorists (Einstein) and empiricists (Edison) in my view. Commercial success is required in order to further fund experimentation (R&D) in other areas. Edison taught us all that it's not the brightest among us who make a better world; it is those willing to put in the hard work.
Lastly, in this world where the literati control much of the content available in printed form, this reminds us that in the end tenacity can always beat out talent every day. Resolving to solve issues within public education, this is something that should be not only taught but engrained.
I highly recommend this read. There are a lot of references to other people who aren't contemporarily known in 2020, so there were a few people I had to look up online to digest a synopsis before I could really immerse myself into the narrative of his life and his methods. But it is fun to do - as reading should be a fun exercise for anyone anyway - and it brings a broader perspective to his life than reading it sans research .
August 5, 2023
Josephson wrote this biography in 1959, and it clearly stands the test of time. Thorough and well cited, it is a hefty biography of many details of his life, starting from a few generations prior to his birth through his passing. That being said, it reads like a traditional academic biography, and not the more narrative style that the current trend in biography/memoir.
I loved the book, but it brought Edison to life for me in a whole new, and quite disconcerting way. Essentially, he was a psychopath, although I'm not sure that term was used in 1959 much. And I'm pretty convinced he might have been a serial killer not unlike "The Man From the Train" that Rachel McCarthy James and Bill James document in their historical tale.
His "experiments" electrocuting first insects, then small rodents, and eventually mammals of all sizes were even considered sadistic by some historical accounts. From his youth in poverty on the rail lines through his race against Westinghouse to win the war of the Electric Chair for human executions, he is problematic. So the duration of these activities started in childhood and lasted through late adulthood. To understand the scope of them, I would point to this quote from Josephson: "The feline and canine pets of the West Orange neighborhood were purchased from eager schoolboys at twenty-five cents each and executed in such numbers that the local animal population stood in danger of being decimated." In Edison's own words, he has taken life "in the belief that the end justified the means." From a man striving to sell his electrical chair to the government, such a statement can hardly be surprising.
He did not see women as equal and stuck the first wife (many years his junior) out in Menlo Park until she died, where upon he promptly found an 18-year old replacement, closer in age to his 13-year old daughter than himself. He stuck her out in what was then the wilds of West Orange, conveniently *not* near the neighbors or people who were familiar with his first wife. In one of his imaginings about women, he dreamed up, "a preposterous machine, to be inserted into some unnaturally thing woman's joints to provide them with automatic lubrication, as with one of the steam generators." He journaled that, so it was obviously something he wanted to remember.
As for the children from those wives: "his children recalled that he could be both warmly affectionate and playfully, unconsciously cruel, but that most of the time 'he hardly ever saw us,' or 'he never thought of us.' Indeed, one of the very few days of the year he set aside as family time was the 4th of July, which he celebrated by having "us children run around barefoot and would throw those little Chinese firecrack3ers at our feet, enjoying himself hugely." Add to that a father who fought to prevent his wives from educating the children (successfully with wife #1 and unsuccessfully with wife #2) he presents anything but a caring father.
If you are all interested in inventors, New Jersey history, or Edison, this biography is well worth the time you invest reading it.
I loved the book, but it brought Edison to life for me in a whole new, and quite disconcerting way. Essentially, he was a psychopath, although I'm not sure that term was used in 1959 much. And I'm pretty convinced he might have been a serial killer not unlike "The Man From the Train" that Rachel McCarthy James and Bill James document in their historical tale.
His "experiments" electrocuting first insects, then small rodents, and eventually mammals of all sizes were even considered sadistic by some historical accounts. From his youth in poverty on the rail lines through his race against Westinghouse to win the war of the Electric Chair for human executions, he is problematic. So the duration of these activities started in childhood and lasted through late adulthood. To understand the scope of them, I would point to this quote from Josephson: "The feline and canine pets of the West Orange neighborhood were purchased from eager schoolboys at twenty-five cents each and executed in such numbers that the local animal population stood in danger of being decimated." In Edison's own words, he has taken life "in the belief that the end justified the means." From a man striving to sell his electrical chair to the government, such a statement can hardly be surprising.
He did not see women as equal and stuck the first wife (many years his junior) out in Menlo Park until she died, where upon he promptly found an 18-year old replacement, closer in age to his 13-year old daughter than himself. He stuck her out in what was then the wilds of West Orange, conveniently *not* near the neighbors or people who were familiar with his first wife. In one of his imaginings about women, he dreamed up, "a preposterous machine, to be inserted into some unnaturally thing woman's joints to provide them with automatic lubrication, as with one of the steam generators." He journaled that, so it was obviously something he wanted to remember.
As for the children from those wives: "his children recalled that he could be both warmly affectionate and playfully, unconsciously cruel, but that most of the time 'he hardly ever saw us,' or 'he never thought of us.' Indeed, one of the very few days of the year he set aside as family time was the 4th of July, which he celebrated by having "us children run around barefoot and would throw those little Chinese firecrack3ers at our feet, enjoying himself hugely." Add to that a father who fought to prevent his wives from educating the children (successfully with wife #1 and unsuccessfully with wife #2) he presents anything but a caring father.
If you are all interested in inventors, New Jersey history, or Edison, this biography is well worth the time you invest reading it.
September 14, 2019
Written in 1959, this is the classic Edison biography. It's a good mix of human element and technical detail. I previously started a version written decades , but I found the technical descriptions to be too detailed and distracting for my taste. This book gives enough of that detail to help the reader understand the ideas and inventions and the implications of introducing that technology into a changing America, but it doesn't get bogged down in it. Someone looking for a more in-depth technical analysis should try the later version. Overall, this book does a great job detailing Edison's rise to prominence as an inventor, his role in the commercialization of many other ideas besides the light bulb, and his quirky behavior. I recommend this to anyone wanting to learn about Edison's personal journey as well as the impact of his work on American business and culture.
March 24, 2020
Edison was BRILLIANT! Edison combined his curiosity with a dogged determination to explore possibilities, and the results were amazing discoveries and inventions. He started with the simplest experiments to learn principles which he had the wisdom to turn into life changing inventions. Edison worked tirelessly day and night on his inventions.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
His work includes:
1,093 U.S. Patents
Electric Light Bulb
Phonograph
Motion Picture Camera
Alkaline Storage Battery
Magnetic Iron Ore Separator
Great book, I had to skim some of the more technical discussions as they were a bit hard to follow. I found his inventions amazing but even more so his implementation of the inventions employing thousands for the betterment of mankind.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
His work includes:
1,093 U.S. Patents
Electric Light Bulb
Phonograph
Motion Picture Camera
Alkaline Storage Battery
Magnetic Iron Ore Separator
Great book, I had to skim some of the more technical discussions as they were a bit hard to follow. I found his inventions amazing but even more so his implementation of the inventions employing thousands for the betterment of mankind.
October 18, 2025
- A dedicated self-learner, whos doing what he loves
- crazily workaholic and somehow survived from bad people surrounding him
- successful people dont read books, they read library!
- life is problems. everyone has problems in their lives. so we shouldnt try to eliminate problems completely, because thats futile. we should just get good at problem solving
- nothing thats good works by itself. youve got to make the damn thing work. when he invented phonograph, similar story with James Dyson when he invented bagless vacuum, the monopolized giant at that time, rejected the idea. Of course. It is against their economic incentives. So.. "i got to do this myself" angry moments happened.
- crazily workaholic and somehow survived from bad people surrounding him
- successful people dont read books, they read library!
- life is problems. everyone has problems in their lives. so we shouldnt try to eliminate problems completely, because thats futile. we should just get good at problem solving
- nothing thats good works by itself. youve got to make the damn thing work. when he invented phonograph, similar story with James Dyson when he invented bagless vacuum, the monopolized giant at that time, rejected the idea. Of course. It is against their economic incentives. So.. "i got to do this myself" angry moments happened.
September 19, 2019
This baby was looooong. But I’m really glad I read the whole thing.
It has the perfect mix of storytelling and technical detail that I loved. He didn’t just say that Edison flipped a switch and the light went on; he actually talked about the science behind it which was cool.
My main takeaway was that Edison was a pretty ordinary, and not formally educated, person that just worked his tail off and did amazing things. Mostly, I’ll remember that he is responsible for way more than just the light bulb.
It has the perfect mix of storytelling and technical detail that I loved. He didn’t just say that Edison flipped a switch and the light went on; he actually talked about the science behind it which was cool.
My main takeaway was that Edison was a pretty ordinary, and not formally educated, person that just worked his tail off and did amazing things. Mostly, I’ll remember that he is responsible for way more than just the light bulb.
March 25, 2018
Brilliant!
Very enjoyable read, the method of writing I found timeless, presented in a facilatory manner, to accomodate individuals to invest in their own thoughts & opinions on all things ‘Edison’.
The outlining of scientific investigation & its development throughout a time of which seemed to be stuck in its ways, was a personal highlight for me, emphasising the value of practical thinking.
Very enjoyable read, the method of writing I found timeless, presented in a facilatory manner, to accomodate individuals to invest in their own thoughts & opinions on all things ‘Edison’.
The outlining of scientific investigation & its development throughout a time of which seemed to be stuck in its ways, was a personal highlight for me, emphasising the value of practical thinking.
August 5, 2021
It was an interesting dive into the life of Edison but very technical in its descriptions of Edison's investigative work and inventions. The book was a slog at times and 485 pages left me a bit winded.
November 9, 2022
An excellent book...a bit slow in parts, but well worth the time. I am giving a copy to my son in law for Christmas as he is a mechanical engineer and I think he will enjoy it. I never realized what an amazing man Edison was...fascinating life.
July 19, 2018
5 Stars!
#read up my Friends
#read up my Friends
November 14, 2019
I learned a great deal about Thomas Edison.
April 16, 2020
excellent
October 6, 2021
This felt like a slog as im not a scientist at all....but once i got half way through it accelerated and i was hooked till the end ! What a man....
June 24, 2022
Learned a lot. The downside to reading all these biographies lately is that, after one has gotten to know and - hopefully - like or admire them, they all die at the end. :-_(
September 5, 2022
A lot of interesting content, but the audible version is a pain to listen to due to the reader's accent
October 10, 2024
One of the few books that have inspired me .
May 20, 2025
You can get very excited by hearing so many interesting devices invented. Really fun read.
July 1, 2025
Very detailed and almost too much so! Still, an interesting and meticulously researched biography of the great inventor!
December 23, 2022
The classic biography of Edison. Although you can tell that Josephson admires Edison (a lot to admire), he is still critical (in subtle ways). The absent husband and father come through, as he devotes nearly 20 hours a day to his experiments.
Recommended.
Recommended.
November 30, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was dense but clear. I went into it having seen reviews that it was fairly technical. It was perfect for me (a software engineer). I found the various endeavors of Edison fascinating, and the sheer volume of his accomplishments amazing. I had never known his huge impact upon the planet before reading this book.
The book is generally chronological, ordered by decades of Edison's life. His first decade dealt with his homeschooled upbringing. His second: working on the train. His third: pursuit of the multiplexed telegraph. His fourth, the light bulb, and a self-financed power station for New York city to make use of his light bulb. His fifth: development of the rock crusher now used around the world in mining and cement creation. His sixth: perfection of his phonograph and movie camera. The seventh: the development of the nickle-iron battery (at last with lithium). His eighth (yes, in his seventies): his appointment to the Navy Consulting Board with his work on sonar and dragnets.
The book covers his personal life, which was minimal, as well. (Edison was very dedicated to his work.) His relationship with Henry Ford, which I had no idea about, is emphasized.
The book is generally chronological, ordered by decades of Edison's life. His first decade dealt with his homeschooled upbringing. His second: working on the train. His third: pursuit of the multiplexed telegraph. His fourth, the light bulb, and a self-financed power station for New York city to make use of his light bulb. His fifth: development of the rock crusher now used around the world in mining and cement creation. His sixth: perfection of his phonograph and movie camera. The seventh: the development of the nickle-iron battery (at last with lithium). His eighth (yes, in his seventies): his appointment to the Navy Consulting Board with his work on sonar and dragnets.
The book covers his personal life, which was minimal, as well. (Edison was very dedicated to his work.) His relationship with Henry Ford, which I had no idea about, is emphasized.
November 25, 2008
11-12-08
Frankly, after reading McCullough’s biography of Truman, everything else seems to pale in comparison. However, Josephson’s biography of Edison won the Francis Parkman award, so its quality as a solidly researched account of Edison’s life can be assured.
As an inventor/businessman/industrialist, Edison’s life mirrors his restless creative energy. The details of his work with the incandescent bulb, phonograph, etc. are detailed in this book, as are his many other ventures. Following the scope of his life’s work was endlessly interesting.
We find out less about the inner man in this book – perhaps because his work as an inventor consumed his life. Edison receives quite gentle, almost reverential, treatment in this book. The writing feels much more archaic than the era of the late 1950’s/early 1960’s in which it was written. One often has to wait patiently until the end of a long sentence to finish a thought begun many words earlier.
In sum, the book will likely be interesting to those who have experience with and tolerance for the interesting, but not gripping, historical biography.
Frankly, after reading McCullough’s biography of Truman, everything else seems to pale in comparison. However, Josephson’s biography of Edison won the Francis Parkman award, so its quality as a solidly researched account of Edison’s life can be assured.
As an inventor/businessman/industrialist, Edison’s life mirrors his restless creative energy. The details of his work with the incandescent bulb, phonograph, etc. are detailed in this book, as are his many other ventures. Following the scope of his life’s work was endlessly interesting.
We find out less about the inner man in this book – perhaps because his work as an inventor consumed his life. Edison receives quite gentle, almost reverential, treatment in this book. The writing feels much more archaic than the era of the late 1950’s/early 1960’s in which it was written. One often has to wait patiently until the end of a long sentence to finish a thought begun many words earlier.
In sum, the book will likely be interesting to those who have experience with and tolerance for the interesting, but not gripping, historical biography.
June 18, 2013
This book may or may not be the best autobiography on Thomas A. Edison, but it was enough to help me see the life of a most unusual man.
I didn't realize he was actually the founder of GE, nor did I know he was mostly deaf, and that he was a problem child with virtually no formal education. I didn't know he had six kids, three from a first wife that mostly didn't know him; and three from a second that mostly did.
I didn't know that he conversed with his wife by tapping her hand or leg in Morse code - and that is how he asked her to marry him. I didn't know how hard he worked, or the fact that through it all he remained positive and hopeful. I didn't know that Henry Ford first worked in Edison's employ, and that Ford built a museum in Michigan, much to Edison's tribute.
Now I want to see his home and laboratories in N.J., his summer home in Fort Myer Florida and GE in Schenectady.
Reading offers a depth of knowledge that reaches into my soul. I'm grateful for that, and all the wonderful things that came to life & light as a result of Mr. Edison.
I didn't realize he was actually the founder of GE, nor did I know he was mostly deaf, and that he was a problem child with virtually no formal education. I didn't know he had six kids, three from a first wife that mostly didn't know him; and three from a second that mostly did.
I didn't know that he conversed with his wife by tapping her hand or leg in Morse code - and that is how he asked her to marry him. I didn't know how hard he worked, or the fact that through it all he remained positive and hopeful. I didn't know that Henry Ford first worked in Edison's employ, and that Ford built a museum in Michigan, much to Edison's tribute.
Now I want to see his home and laboratories in N.J., his summer home in Fort Myer Florida and GE in Schenectady.
Reading offers a depth of knowledge that reaches into my soul. I'm grateful for that, and all the wonderful things that came to life & light as a result of Mr. Edison.
February 15, 2016
This was a beautifully written biography of a man I highly respect. Edison is a fascinating character study and I would have liked to of been alive when he worked on all of his inventions. If you are into biographies you should really pick this one up.
5 stars = Yearly re-read
4 stars = Re-read eventually
3 stars = Very Good
2 stars = OK
1 stars = Pass on this one.
0 stars = Couldn't finish it.
5 stars = Yearly re-read
4 stars = Re-read eventually
3 stars = Very Good
2 stars = OK
1 stars = Pass on this one.
0 stars = Couldn't finish it.
November 17, 2008
Well researched book that looks at Edison's professional life and touches upon his personal life. Technical descriptions of his inventions were beyond me, but would be enjoyed by the mechanically inclined.
October 22, 2015
Excellent. What a biography should be. He did so many things besides electricity. He had incredible drive. He knew he was made for greatness. He lived in such a great time for this country. Worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews