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A review by dcox83
Edison by Edmund Morris
4.0
The thing everyone writes about this biography is that Morris wrote it backwards. It starts with his death and each chapter is the previous decade of his life.
I liked this choice the further I got into the book, as it sets up Edison's greatest inventions (phonograph and light bulb) as a climax to the book. So much of his life afterwards was built around these two things, and the book deconstructs all of it as we read further into the book while moving earlier into his life. It creates a tension and excitement when you get to the moments, 3/4 of the way through the biography.
I also enjoyed how this book demystified Edison's scientific process. It was less "A-ha!" moments and more 18 hours days in his lab. It also shows the magic people felt from his inventions. They could hear audio recordings of famous people or loved ones after their deaths. They could easily see in their homes after dark without gas torches or candles. These were huge moments in the world, and Morris does a great job walking us through them.
I liked this choice the further I got into the book, as it sets up Edison's greatest inventions (phonograph and light bulb) as a climax to the book. So much of his life afterwards was built around these two things, and the book deconstructs all of it as we read further into the book while moving earlier into his life. It creates a tension and excitement when you get to the moments, 3/4 of the way through the biography.
I also enjoyed how this book demystified Edison's scientific process. It was less "A-ha!" moments and more 18 hours days in his lab. It also shows the magic people felt from his inventions. They could hear audio recordings of famous people or loved ones after their deaths. They could easily see in their homes after dark without gas torches or candles. These were huge moments in the world, and Morris does a great job walking us through them.