Blood and Volts: Edison, Tesla and the Electric Chair

by Th. Metzger

An ax murderer, two of the most brilliant scientific minds of the century, billions of dollars in profit, precedent-setting legal battles, secrets of life and death--all of these come together in the story of the first electric chair. In BLOOD AND VOLTS, Th. Metzger uses a unique synthesis of scholarship, storytelling and cultural critique to present a clear and compelling America struggling to define itself through scientific innovation.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Th. Metzger is a writer and musician who lives in Western New York. He teaches writing and literature at the State University of New York at Geneseo (his Alma Mater) and Brockport. In the 1980s, he performed solo under the name Blind Dudu Process.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a pleasure to plug this wonderful study that is positively shocking in many ways. I have enjoyed Thom Metzger's collected rants (This is Your Final Warning) and well-crafted horror novels (his Shock Totem is thematically linked with Blood and Volts, making it a good follow-up read) but this is something different. By turns lurid, wry, and amazing, Blood and Volts is a treasure that focuses on the juicy bits, jolting the reader with passages of true crime, mad science, and the fierce competition between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. This "War of the Currents" (AC versus DC) is one of the most fascinating episodes in American history. At the heart of the story are two gripping episodes: the development and implementation of the electric chair as an allegedly more civilized form of execution than hanging, and the 1893 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, the first grand display of electric light. As the former is tested, countless dogs, simians, and other animals are electrocuted on "the altar of science," an expression that Metzger takes literally, considering the parallels between scientific advancement and primitive rituals of appeasement. Tesla comes across as the most sympathetic and fascinating character. His inventions appear fully developed in his head. His inspiration apparently come to him like a bolt from the blue. He endures amazing amounts of electricity during experiments and demonstrations, leading to his unique apotheosis that partakes of both science and mysticism. Meanwhile, Edison comes across as a cranky, dishonest and explotative figure, stage managing his image and cheating Tesla during their brief association. Their fierce competition is amped up by plutocrats, criminals, con men, politicians, and lawyers.

Metzger excels as a story-teller. There are no tedious childhood anecdotes or generations of family history here. Instead we read of grisly murder as the prelude to the first ghastly and inhumane execution by electricity. Grisly scenes are relieved by dry wit and fascinating observations. It makes for a quick and very entertaining read about pivotal events that generated our modern world. Another modern classic from the highly regarded Autonomedia Press.

[Rick Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, lots of info on both Edison & Tesla. The legal ordeal on the first electric chair exacution is covered along with the botched exacution itself.

[michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting piece about the race for electricity (AC vs DC) across the United States and it's relationship to the invent of the electric chair as a "humane" form of capital punishment. As a nerd/electrical engineer, I found it very interesting, but not necessarily a good read. I will attempt to read a book about Nikola Tesla, who is a bad ass, in the near future.

[Aonarán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all I really liked this book, though from time to time was left wondering - what is the point of this part?

I would have appreciated a stronger conclusion or that the themes could have been tied together more thoroughly. I also wish the Tesla / Edison chapters (about 1/4 to 1/3 of the book) were more concise.

3.8

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellently done history of the invention of the electric chair. Addresses the idea of the executed as scapegoat for society's ills, and also the push for “progress�” that led to the switch from hanging to electrocution for capital crimes. Describes the fascinating personalities of those involved as well as the greusome crimes that led to the first electric chair.