A review by anniegroover
Edison by Edmund Morris

4.0

I love Morris' writing (RIP Edmund!), and this book did not disappoint. I wavered a bit on whether I liked the reverse chronology format, but I ultimately came down on deciding that yes, it was good. Not only is it an interesting way to structure a non-fiction book, but also, I think it served to keep the narrative moving towards the ultimate inventions everyone knows him for (phonographs and lightbulbs) which came relatively early in his career. Moving backwards through the decades dropped interesting breadcrumbs along the way and actually made the end of the book move quicker than the beginning (like, how did his first wife die? What was his dad like?) Morris is such a fantastic writer, and not only knows his subject well, it is also apparent that he knows Edison's work well too. I did like the Teddy Roosevelt book a bit better, because I felt more comfortable in the political world than the business/science world, and TR himself left such a large body of writing, it was more immersive. At times, Edison comes off as a horny asshole. Still fascinating, but less likable.