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Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock, and the Race to Unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of the 19th Century
Noble Obsession follows the life of Charles Goodyear, a single-minded genius who risked his own life and that of his family in a quest to unlock the secrets of rubber. In rich, historical detail, it chronicles the personal price Goodyear paid in pursuit of his dream and his bitter rivalry with Thomas Hancock, the scholarly English inventor who ultimately robbed Goodyear of fame and fortune. From the jungles of Brazil to the laboratories of Europe to the courtrooms of America, Noble Obsession tells one of the strangest and most affecting sagas in the history of human discovery.
274 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 3, 2019
The author made a valiant effort to not valorize Goodyear's obsessive, self-centered behavior and his wives' patient suffering doormatting, and yet.
January 1, 2020
Learned a lot about rubber and patents. Glad it was a short book. I think the author did a good job of trying to make the subject interesting.
April 1, 2020
Gripping. An absolutely incredible beginning to one of today's ubiquitous commodities.
Read
June 4, 2020It is not letting me read the book I want to do a project on him!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:( :O
:( :O
August 18, 2011
Really great, accessible history of Charles Goodyear and the development of vulcanized rubber, probably one of if not the most significant contributions to the development of the modern age.
Slack has a great writing style that blends a casual manner with copious references to reams of historical documents without drowning the reader in detail. Of particularly amusing note was how he attempted to explain the chemical process of vulcanization by using a college party as a metaphor. That rather unique and strange example is indicative of how the life of Goodyear, who was essentially a crazy person by any modern DSM guideline is retold in a thorough and engaging manner. In comparison to many rigorous, academic writings, Noble Obsession avoids dry, exhaustive descriptions of letters, footnotes, and news clippings, and instead plays more off of the sheer insanity of the time period; the peculiar characters involved, the depression and suffering of Goodyear during his failures, and the conniving and backstabbing that went on in the race to profit off the discovery.
This book definitely summarizes the battle for the patent to vulcanized rubber in an engaging manner, and manages to portray every character in a relatively unbiased light, citing historical records to draw conclusions about motivations, ethics, and such, rather then write off Hancock as an unscrupulous thief. Much of the plot, because this book almost feels like a fiction novel, covers the patent battles and gaining credit for the discovery. By referencing actual case testimony, Hancock's standard reputation as a cheat is dismissed, but his character flaws are laid bare for anyone to see.
It's a bit of a strange topic, but if the average person were to spend one day noting all the uses of rubber they encounter in their daily life (hint: A major use, coating electrical wires), they would be staggered how much they owe to Charles Goodyear.
Slack has a great writing style that blends a casual manner with copious references to reams of historical documents without drowning the reader in detail. Of particularly amusing note was how he attempted to explain the chemical process of vulcanization by using a college party as a metaphor. That rather unique and strange example is indicative of how the life of Goodyear, who was essentially a crazy person by any modern DSM guideline is retold in a thorough and engaging manner. In comparison to many rigorous, academic writings, Noble Obsession avoids dry, exhaustive descriptions of letters, footnotes, and news clippings, and instead plays more off of the sheer insanity of the time period; the peculiar characters involved, the depression and suffering of Goodyear during his failures, and the conniving and backstabbing that went on in the race to profit off the discovery.
This book definitely summarizes the battle for the patent to vulcanized rubber in an engaging manner, and manages to portray every character in a relatively unbiased light, citing historical records to draw conclusions about motivations, ethics, and such, rather then write off Hancock as an unscrupulous thief. Much of the plot, because this book almost feels like a fiction novel, covers the patent battles and gaining credit for the discovery. By referencing actual case testimony, Hancock's standard reputation as a cheat is dismissed, but his character flaws are laid bare for anyone to see.
It's a bit of a strange topic, but if the average person were to spend one day noting all the uses of rubber they encounter in their daily life (hint: A major use, coating electrical wires), they would be staggered how much they owe to Charles Goodyear.
June 6, 2012
If there is one substance that can truly be considered ubiquitous in our technological world, it is rubber. Yet, until the mid-19th century, rubber was a mildly interesting substance primarily used for the removal of pencil marks from paper. It was nearly useless and completely unsuitable for any of the applications that are vital to our modern world. What happened to move rubber from oddity to necessity? Charles Goodyear.
Noble Obsession is the story of the remarkable tinkerer Charles Goodyear and his quest to solve the "rubber problem". Slack details the woes and triumphs of this obsessed experimenter who created the process by which rubber becomes a useful and industrially important substance: Vulcanization. Along with the story of Goodyear, Slack tells the tale of Thomas Hancock (the man who claimed Goodyear's process as his own) and Horace Day (who we would now call a patent troll) and their tangled relationships.
Along the way, Slack gives interesting insight into the industrial processes of the 19th Century, Patent Law, and the last great era of the amateur inventor. Written in a lively and entertaining fashion, Noble Obsession is a fun and educational read about a remarkable man who helped to give birth to the modern age.
Noble Obsession is the story of the remarkable tinkerer Charles Goodyear and his quest to solve the "rubber problem". Slack details the woes and triumphs of this obsessed experimenter who created the process by which rubber becomes a useful and industrially important substance: Vulcanization. Along with the story of Goodyear, Slack tells the tale of Thomas Hancock (the man who claimed Goodyear's process as his own) and Horace Day (who we would now call a patent troll) and their tangled relationships.
Along the way, Slack gives interesting insight into the industrial processes of the 19th Century, Patent Law, and the last great era of the amateur inventor. Written in a lively and entertaining fashion, Noble Obsession is a fun and educational read about a remarkable man who helped to give birth to the modern age.
March 19, 2009
Goodyear has to rank as an authentic American hero. Compulsion doesn't even begin to describe the tenacity with which Goodyear, through countless trial and error attempts tried to discover the secrets of vulcanization. One has to sympathize with his family, however, as Goodyear -- dare I say squandered in light of the result? -- his family's funds to purchase supplies, taking over the kitchen with gooey, syrupy liquid rubber, making a mess out of his personal life, facing debtor's prison and generally obsessing with rubber. Certainly, part of the motivation was money. Whoever solved the problem would become rich. Goodyear was bedeviled constantly by those wishing to steal his secrets and profit from his discoveries. The story of the legal battle for control of the patent is equaling riveting.
Slack turns what one would think to be a boring subject into a fascinating read (or listen in my case) as he weaves the technical, social, and political aspects together into a fine narrative.
Slack turns what one would think to be a boring subject into a fascinating read (or listen in my case) as he weaves the technical, social, and political aspects together into a fine narrative.
November 19, 2012
Nice book about persistence (EIGHT+ YEARS!) while also being a cautionary tale to keep an eye on personal liabilities so you don't give away greatness for pennies on the dollar in desperation.
That single sentence really sums it up, even if we now live in an age where everyone considers their intellectual property (and future prospects) to be worth billions. There are other interesting passages like the various myths of how he discovered the right method for "curing" rubber, such as one account that claims his wife threatened to leave him if he continued the experiments and that he hid it in the oven when she come home early that day. (Author dryly muses about how that version is a nice one because it credits her with having the courage to leave him rather than continue to endure the hardships.)
That single sentence really sums it up, even if we now live in an age where everyone considers their intellectual property (and future prospects) to be worth billions. There are other interesting passages like the various myths of how he discovered the right method for "curing" rubber, such as one account that claims his wife threatened to leave him if he continued the experiments and that he hid it in the oven when she come home early that day. (Author dryly muses about how that version is a nice one because it credits her with having the courage to leave him rather than continue to endure the hardships.)
February 10, 2017
Charles Goodyear had a lifelong obsession with turning rubber into a material that won't melt or crack under shifting temperatures. He experimented endlessly while his family languished in poverty. He continually borrowed money to fund his endeavors, with the big payoff always around the corner. Eventually he stumbled upon vulcanization, and his obsession was vindicated. His legal/financial difficulties were far from over as he fought high-profile patent case in court, and failed to harness his tinkering nature to more profitable enterprise. A frail, sickly visionary that died at 59, his estate was stuck with $300,000 in debt, and the Goodyear tire company wasn't even formed until decades after he died. His discovery is essential to the modern world and his life quest wasn't in vain.
June 24, 2013
This was an interesting read- I haven't read too many biographies, but this one read like a very engrossing story. Mr. Slack definitely put in a lot of time, and crafted a good story out of the evidence that he had. Charles Goodyear, the inventor of vulcanization, is a man who struggles under the weight of his own genius. Discovering the secrets of rubber truly is an obsession that takes priority over all other aspects in his life, including finances, and, arguably, family. This book is, at once, inspiring and cautionary.
February 20, 2018
To the author Charles Slack: well done. What a great read. The writing style is eloquent, as if of that era. It sucked me right into the story.
And it is an amazing story. The origin of vulcanized rubber is fraught with betrayal and heartache, with real-life good guys and bad guys. I wouldn't be surprised to see Noble Obsession at the cinema soon.
In short, this is the best biography I've ever read, and the legacy of Charles Goodyear has another admirer.
And it is an amazing story. The origin of vulcanized rubber is fraught with betrayal and heartache, with real-life good guys and bad guys. I wouldn't be surprised to see Noble Obsession at the cinema soon.
In short, this is the best biography I've ever read, and the legacy of Charles Goodyear has another admirer.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews