The Truth About Tesla: The Myth of the Lone Genius in the History of Innovation

by Christopher Cooper

Everything you think you know about Nikola Tesla is wrong.  The Truth About Tesla  sets the record straight. Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest electrical inventors who ever lived. For years, the engineering genius was relegated to relative obscurity, his contributions to humanity (we are told) obscured by a number of nineteenth-century inventors and industrialists who took credit for his work or stole his patents outright. In recent years, the historical record has been “corrected” and Tesla has been restored to his rightful place among historical luminaries like Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Gugliemo Marconi. Most biographies repeat the familiar account of Tesla’s life, including his  invention of alternating current , his falling out with Edison, how he lost billions in patent royalties to Westinghouse, and his fight to prove that Marconi stole 13 of his patents to “invent” radio. But, what really happened? Consider Everything you think you know about Nikola Tesla is wrong.  Newly uncovered information  proves that the popular account of Tesla’s life is itself very flawed. In  The Truth About Tesla , Christopher Cooper sets out to prove that the conventional story not only oversimplifies history, it denies credit to some of the true inventors behind many of the groundbreaking technologies now attributed to Tesla and perpetuates a  misunderstanding about the process of innovation itself . Are you positive that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone? Are you sure the Wright Brothers were the first in flight? Think again! With a provocative foreword by Tesla biographer Marc. J. Seifer,  The Truth About Tesla  is one of the first books to set the record straight, tracing the origin of some of the greatest electrical inventions to a coterie of  colorful characters that conventional history has all but forgotten .

Genres: Biography, History, Science, Nonfiction

200 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jill H.]

I picked up this book thinking it was more of a biography of the rather mysterious Nikola Tesla than what it turned out to be. The first 60 pages skimmed over his life and some of his inventions (which were not all his by any means). At this point the book turned to the technical aspects of these inventions beginning with a chapter called "Understanding Electricity". It was at this point that my interest waned and after I got through the chapter entitled "The Polyphase Alternating Current (AC) Motor" I was totally uninterested and put the book aside. I imagine that a reader who enjoys the inner workings of the use of electricity might like this book but I am not one of those people.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Книгата е подробен поглед върху изобретяването на телефона, радиото, електрическия двигател и хората , които са оставили своята ителектуална следа в света чрез тях.
Дали американският физик Амос Долбиър докато е студент в Уеслианския университет в Охайо през 1865 г. (около 11 години преди Бел) изобретява „говорещ телеграф“ ?Или роденият през 1808 година в тосканско семейство Антонио Меучи, проучвайки преобладаващата литература по електромагнетизъм и акустика, скоро разработва устройство, подобно на телефон, наречено „телетрофоно"? Тогава / в 1857 година/ той и съпругата му вече са имигрирали в САЩ. За същото творение кандидатства и един от най-визионерските електрически иноватори в света - Никола Тесла.
Много съм съгласна / както винаги/ с думите на Марк Твен на 17 март 1903 година в писмо до Хелън Келър / американска писателка, политическа активистка и лекторка. Тя е първият глух и сляп човек, получил бакалавърска степен в изкуствата :
" Тези нагледни уроци трябва да ни научат, че деветдесет и девет части от всички неща, които произтичат от интелекта, са плагиатства, чисто и просто; и урокът трябва да ни направи скромни. Но нищо не може да направи това. "
The truth about Tesla....е книга, чиято цел е да се придстави по - малко от живота, таланта и последиците от иновациите, които Тесла оставя на света, и повече разведряване на гения чрез осъмняване в участието му в едни от най - забележителните постижения на човешкия ум за живота на поколения напред. В историята на човешкото познание името на Никола Тесла се римува с гениалност. След като в Белград има музей и летище, посветени на него, а в Хърватия по случай 100 - годишнината от рождението му е създаден тематичен парк. А в Интернет пространството има форум, разглеждащ румънското наследство на Тесла.Сигурно всички тези прояви на почит имат причина. Но според автора на тази книга, целият шум около личността на Тесла, обявяването му за гений и свързването на името му с открития, улеснение живота ни, са просто безсмислени украси на историци. Колко запознат може да е един писател с иновациите, техническите експерименти и процеса на откритие, за да си позволи подобна критика? А също и пренебрежиние към името и славата на Тесла? Ще, не ще човек започва да се пита какво го е сполетяла господин Купър? Дали електромобилът му е отказал на път за виден форум на писателите - нихилисти? Или електрическата му крушка е спряла да свети, точно когато е бил гол под душа вечер? А може би по радиото е чул негативно мнение за литературните си творения? Каквато и да е причината Christopher Cooper подлага на безмилостно разглеждане личността, труда и признанието на откритията на Тесла. Явно шокирайки читателите с малко популярно мнение, ще успее да привлече внимание. А кръщавайки книгата си " ИСТИНАТА за Тесла..." , увековечава собствената си мания за величие и правдивост. Нещо, което аз не споделям!

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Cooper wrote the book to point out errors and extravagant adulation in previous biographies that have perpetuated the "Nikola Tesla legend." He agrees with earlier biographers that Tesla was an insightful, imaginative, eccentric, and sometimes brilliant man. As well, Tesla was an obstinate, bold explorer, also a showman, and a self-promoter who contrived the basis of his legend. Tesla was sometimes an inventor. Yet more often he was an innovator pressing forward a bit in an already trodden line — a key point that Cooper marshals assiduous research to substantiate.

Cooper wants to put Tesla into context. Tesla was no mere technician in a crowded category of well-trained journeymen; but Cooper wants the reader to know he was among an echelon of prodigies, scattered about, simultaneously experimenting on the leading technological edges, each poised within the same knowledge realm. In fact, Cooper relates, these remarkable men were all standing on the shoulders of the past's giants of science and technology (to name a few: James Maxwell, Heinrich Hertz, and Oliver Lodge). Sometimes it fell to the courts to deliberate the history of a concept, in an attempt to decide who first innovated what (hence, who could profit from a patent).

Through the years, many of the technological miracles Tesla announced to the public via his contacts in the press never became practical, let alone commercialized. (As Cooper tells it, this spotty record was the main reason behind J.P. Morgan, Sr’s refusal to further accede to Tesla’s never-ending pleas for financial support — though, as he documents also, a lesser one was Morgan’s annoyance at Tesla’s irrepressible bragging.)

Cooper does a good job of identifying the actual accomplishments for which we should honor Tesla, chiefly those contributing to the development of the AC generator and motor. And, true, he did make contributions toward the concepts and basic theories of radar and electron-microscopy, which were developed decades later. The book intends to separate these from the misattributions and naive worship the legend has bestowed on the man.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking to learn more about nineteenth century inventors, patent conflicts and pioneering efforts in harnessing electrical power, this is a good book to start with. The author's premise is that Tesla was not the original inventor or innovator for many of the things he is credited with, a premise that he lays out quite clearly. His argument for a culture of innovation, rather than a lone genius like Tesla or Edison, is a convincing one. It took me a while to read, as some of the technical analysis and description was slow going, but I feel like I have a better understanding of both Tesla and the innovations of his time. Worth checking out if the theme is of interest to you.

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting coffee table-size book about Nicola Tesla that clears up and blows away the mythology around this flawed, self-promoting inventor/innovator.

Tesla only really ¨invented¨ one successful innovation, the polyphase AC motor, based on the work of those who came before him. If anything Tesla was more a dreamer than true scientist or engineer. Nearly everything he ¨invented¨ was impractical. Most of his fame rests on his autobiography and his embrace by ¨anti-establishment¨ types in the 1960´s and 70´s.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am not an engineer nor hold a Physics degree, the educator in me was curious about a single word in this book’s title – myth. I’d been led to believe in the greatness of Nikola Tesla and I needed to know why “everything [I] thought [I] knew about Nikola Tesla [was] wrong,” why there was a need for “The Truth About Tesla” and why there was a need to “set the record straight.”

Cooper asks us to consider the fact that Tesla, a revered engineer and inventor, wasn’t as original as we believe. Rather than dispute his genius, Cooper exposes facts that show Tesla borrowed ideas from other inventors and that he put priority in protecting his ‘inventions’ by getting patents quickly.

A point that’s made several times is that inventions are usually the result of work done by many people over time, not by one person working alone. In accepting that thought, I needed to consider other points he highlighted: (1) Tesla was certainly the first to patent the split-phase AC motor, but he wasn’t the first to invent it, (2) Tesla’s name has been given to the ‘Tesla Coil’ but he didn’t even invent this oscillating transformer and (3) Tesla couldn’t have invented wireless transmissions because someone else had succeeded 14 years prior. Accepting these wrongful attributes, Cooper claims, is attributed to history and wisdom, which like US Patent Law, fabricates myths and obscures the true nature of innovation.

I openly admit that although I teach general science, a majority of what was in the core chapters of this book was above my understanding. However, the beautiful illustrations and primary source documents aided in my simplistic grasp of the AC motor, Tesla Coil, electricity, and wireless transmission. I appreciated Cooper’s claim that invention and innovation is a messy process and that there are many great minds working on the same problems and making simultaneous discoveries. Many of these great minds have been forgotten by history and deserve a seat at the table – perhaps a seat that has wrongly been held by someone else.

I don’t feel that Cooper disparaged this Serbian inventor, but rather gave us food for thought. His five myths at the end of the book are a great starting place for further investigation.

I was gifted this advance copy by Christopher Cooper, Quarto Publishing Group, Chartwell Books, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrative of this book is based upon undermining Tesla. I didn't find it very compelling as it does not bode well with the consensus. The historical aspect of Tesla's background was not very good to say the least.

The author mentions some gibberish about amateur Romanian historians for some unknown reason. Puzzlingly, this is one of the author's first points when discussing Tesla's background. He also disingenuously makes it seem at first as though Tesla may be (ethnically) Croatian because both countries lay claim to him and honour him which is playing into the hands of (Croatian) revisionists. I understand this may be done to intrigue the reader but considering this is a tactic of ultranationalistic Croats to claim him as a Croat....yeah not a good move. The author states "who gets to claim Tesla is murkier than the black seas." A few sentences down he has cracked his own "murky" riddle by stating that Tesla is an ethnic Serb (which has already been figured out by hundreds if not thousands of others before him.) Not so murky after all. The trope that the Balkans is too messy to understand is really tiring and simply not true. It can be understood and the author has contradicted himself by clearing explaining it in a matter of a few sentences. Many Serbs left Ottoman oppression for Austria-Hungarian oppression- that is the sad reality which has been left out...The author acts like they left for a picnic without ever delving into the why. Why is that? Because they are "messy," bloody, violent people, undeserving of being understood, I suppose or so the narrative goes.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. There are lots of biographies of Tesla but this book is not just another one. It is more a look at Tesla’s inventions, what they were built upon, and how they were perceived in the moment. To do this well, the book had to explore in some detail the science behind AC and DC currents. I found the explanations very clearly written and easy to understand. This was a major weakness of other books I’ve read on the subject. The book was fun to read and I enjoyed its conversational tone. The book also looked at some detail into patents and the court cases surrounding some of the relevant ones. Overall this is a great book and I recommend it for anyone interested in Tesla’s legacy. Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Chartwell Books for the advance reader copy.

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the book because I incorrectly assumed it was a complete biography about Nikola Tesla. Though it does tell you his life story and talks about him the focus is more about inventions, the fact that history is incorrect, and how it takes multiple people to actually invent something. Though interesting and I did learn many things I just found this book hard to love.

[Jodi Tooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful summary of electrical innovations and invention using Tesla as a pivot point. Anecdotes and extensive research complemented exploration and provided a better understanding of how we came to practically use and distribute electricity. Awesome book for budding scientists.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty dry, with lots of details about patent cases and the physics of electricity. The book’s central thesis, that Tesla was a capable inventor and innovator, not the Prometheus of electricity foiled by the rich and greedy that he is sometimes made out to be, is well made.

[Christy Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more information about Tesla than I got from this book. It is a pretty good read if you are interested in the science around what he invented. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheTruthAboutTesla for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Bill Leach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicola Tesla is widely though of as a genius who was well ahead of his time and was the inventor of a number of important electric devices that made modern power systems possible, including polyphase AC power systems, polyphase motors and transformers. Cooper examines Tesla's discoveries in some detail, showing that at the time there were many others demonstrating progress with these devices.

The book is organized into four main sections, looking at electrical fundamentals, polyphase motors, transformers including the Tesla Coil, and wireless transmission. The author provides a pretty good introduction to the electrical fundamentals associated with each, then looks at the accomplishments of various experimenters, and finally the patent suits that arose.

The author seems to have missed, however, the difference between AC power and polyphase AC power. He notes, for example, that even before Tesla completed his design, Westinghouse claimed to have sold more AC power stations than other companies had sold DC stations. Early AC systems were single phase, the AC allowing the transformation of voltage. Polyphase systems had the advantage of supplying rotation with a net zero return current. However, polyphase required multiphase generators and more wires at a time when copper was expensive, making them attractive only if there is a large motor load. At the time, much of the electrical load was lighting so investors were reticent to put money into polyphase power systems. It was in response to this that Tesla developed the split-phase motor - but again not the only experimenter working on this device.

The author, who holds a law degree, looks at the many patent suits of the time. Each was the result of parties doing much the same development with the argument of who was first. While many believe that Tesla's inventions were well ahead of competitors, the truth is that others had similar ideas and often preceded him. A detailed examination of the times shows that there was much interchange of ideas with many persons making individual progress on these ideas.

Towards the end of the book, Cooper notes the difference between invention and innovation. Invention generates new ideas, designs or things, while innovation adds value to new ideas, designs or things. He notes that American patent law often confuses the two. "American patent law, preoccupied as it is with promoting innovation without stifling invention, is a clunky tool for assessing the rather intuitive process that drives both."

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikola Tesla is an intriguing person to read about and study, mysterious and misunderstood. Undoubtedly he had a brilliant mind for which he was not always recognized. The author of The Truth About Tesla examines the man behind the inventions and genius with research, fascinating photographs and remarkable illustrations. He writes about Tesla's life from birth to his death. He was ethnically Serbian, had connections to Croatia and did most of his patent work and innovations in America.

One of the aspects I like best is that the author compels the reader to ask questions about innovations and inventors themselves. How much can be accomplished as a solitary inventor? How much did/does the inventor "borrow" ideas from others? Clearly ideas are built upon and improved. But then there is the question of patent laws and protection which vary from country to country. Patents were sometimes applied for with the idea in mind, not necessarily the means how to get to the final point. The author also questions Bell's telephone invention...was it him or did he steal the ideas from Elisha Gray? The more we learn, the more we realize what we do not know.

Tesla has three primary inventions attributed to him...should there have been more? Fewer? But his inventions were rarely commercially workable and therefore his investors were reluctant to get on board, though he did get help from big names such as Westinghouse, Astor and Morgan. Tesla also had a poor reputation with money, though he was a clever man. He spoke at conventions and dazzled crowds and met prominent people and celebrities. He often upgraded his offices and research where he could have been more economical. He applied for patents and was successful sometimes, though they expired. Prone to deep depression and nervous breakdowns, he slept little and obsessively worked. He became a recluse and at times was almost penniless. The Great War affected his work as well.

Not only does the author describe Tesla's life and ideas but also how electricity works. The Baghdad Battery is remarkably interesting! If you are even remotely intrigued by Tesla's life, do not miss this.

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Chartwell Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this thought-provoking and engrossing book.

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. I didn't know that much about tesla before reading this book. I found this book so interesting and I learnt so much from reading it. I certainly needed to remember my physics from school but I understood it easily enough as it was well explained. I found it fascinating to learn alot of people often get confused about tesla's inventions. Even those who think they know him get some important facts wrong. I couldn't believe how many things that Tesla wanted to work on but because he was such a perfectionist others beat him to it. There was also plenty of controversy around tesla which made this book all the more interesting. I was shocked when I read about his death at the end of chapter 2. I think I might of liked that at the end of the book as I was thrown lol. I loved all the great pictures and it added an extra dimension and broke up the text wonderfully. I think to read this book you would need to understand physics at least high school level as the author does well to explain but it did take lots of concentration. I especially loved how the author included lots of personal points about Tesla's lifestyle, where and how he lived and most importantly his finances which where very interesting. Quite alot of these facts shocked me. If you are a science fan then I really do recommend reading this book.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for creating this very fascinating read of such an interesting scientist.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing this book does is untangle the quagmire of falsely reported Tesla achievements. The author deserves high praise for having to endure conspiracy conversations among self proclaimed, arm chair scholars of physics. The details of Tesla's life are fascinating. The details of electrical engineering are scintillating. For those of you wishing to cut to the chase you can read the afterword.

[Amy Roebuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pay attention to the subtitle. This is quite a far-ranging work on the difference between innovation and invention, and how those terms relate to many of the best-known (and some not so well-known) geniuses and innovators of the 19th and 20th centuries.
I was especially gratified to see attention paid to OWU alum Amos Dolbear in several chapters of this work.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting biography about Tesla...

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Truth About Tesla: The Myth of the Lone Genius in the History of Innovation, by Christopher Cooper, is an attractive volume that uses Tesla as the prime example in the larger argument that the "lone genius" idea is a myth and is by far the exception and not the rule.

The book does have some minor errors, though some of the ones I have seen pointed out are actually examples of poor reading comprehension on the part of the "scientist" making the claim. The key is that these minor errors have no impact on the argument of the book, which is to illustrate that even someone often considered to be a lone genius in fact, as we all do, builds on what came before. If this were a biography of Tesla or a science textbook these things would be more important. But it isn't and they're not.

Which brings me to my next point: does anyone read a book description before buying or requesting a book? None of the descriptions I read gave the impression this was a biography and, right up front, Cooper makes clear that there is nothing "new" in the book. It is about the way known facts are put together in an argument that generates the idea of the book, not a mindless search for "something I didn't already know." So I will state the obvious: this is not a biography. There is a bit of a biographic sketch early in the book then discussions on electricity, patent law, and the old standard of "standing on shoulders."

I would recommend this to those who admire Tesla but also want a better idea of who and what he built on, as well as what other similar work was being done without his knowledge. If you like idea books rather than simply regurgitation of facts, you might find a lot to enjoy here. If you lean more toward regurgitation, there are plenty of quite good books of that sort available.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Nazifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of what I thought I knew about Tesla came from websites dedicated to him and documentaries on history channels, etc. I started to pick up small discrepancies between them and started to wonder what is actually true.

Reading this book was a stark reminder of why I’m increasingly choosing books over simply “googling” a subject. This book humanized Tesla for me. And I appreciate the amount of source material provided so the reader can trace back the information given.

Nearly a third of the book builds the scientific and historical background behind Tesla’s work and explains the physics involved, from early experiments in electricity and magnetism to AC motors, transformers, the Tesla coil, and wireless transmission

For me, this is a 5 star book. I walked away with new insights and appreciated the educational depth.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is non- traditional biography suggested by its name. Tons of technical background for civil engineering. Maybe not a bad book but just not my style.

[Ian Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting! The myth of Tesla exposed.

[Kushani De Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a complete biography of Tesla, but rather book in which more of electricity is focused.

[Lonny Sanford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought when purchasing this book it would be a biography. But it explains the difference between invention and innovation. When getting into the book it was hard to follow some of the concepts even as an engineer. It does explain what tesla is accused of accomplishing and how many people are credited with all inventions. It makes you think that tesla does not deserve any credit that he got. None of this book is new information. You would be better if you googled the stuff yourself. It would be easier to understand and cost you less time and money.

[Jenna Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed how balanced this book was. Many biographies tend to be on the side of their subjects where I felt as though this book gave balanced opinions on all of its characters. The layout of this book was also nice. The photos, print, and small blurbs were well laid out. I also really enjoyed the break downs of the experiments themselves and how the technology works.

I found the physical size of this book unpleasant as well as how repetitive it eventually got. I even ended up skipping some paragraphs.

Over all a good book.

[Jeanne Grunert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar comment to what others have said - I bought this book thinking it was a biography of Tesla. It was more about the fallacy of crediting an extraordinary invention to one person. It was also quite technical in places. I could have done without what felt like a degree in electrical engineering.

[Eric Blevins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was good overall. It contained some stories and info about tesla that I had previously not known. Was well written and easy to read. I did not particularly care for the unrelated information such as how electricity works. I was reading a book about the life of tesla, I was not interested in learning how electricity and batteries and generators work in great detail. Also seems like the author went a little out of his way to discredit tesla or infer he did some things wrong or that he knowingly stole ideas. But then in the same book it clearly states his work and patents were upheld by several courts, so I do not really understand the authors logic there. For a book titled the TRUTH about tesla, it sure did contain a lot of speculation and opinion.

[Howard Zhou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expect a biography, but not. 6/10