The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-20
BIOGRAPHY OF EDISON.

BIOGRAPHY OF EDISON.
Edison: Ills Lifo and Inventions. BY
| Frank Lewis Dyer. General Counset lot
| the Edison Laboratory and Allied Inter
csts and Thomas Conmcrtord Martlil
! I.x President of the American lnsu-
| turc OF Electrical Engineers In TWO
| Volumes. Illustrated. Harper a.
| Brothers. Publishers, New York.
Mr.. Edison has given to this. bio
graphy, in his bold chirography, his en-
dorscment, signing under the words,
s'This book is published with my con
sent.
| The purpose of the very able and
thorough going writer's of this biography
of Edison is to give complete. au-
thentic and authorized record OF the
work of the great inventor during ms
active life. and although that life Is by
no means finished, the book is now pub
! lished In response to IAN Inslstcntlly
expressed desire on the part of the pub
lie for a dctinitive biography of Edi-
son. - The authors have had access to
everything required for the complete
presentation of all matters appropriate
| for snch book, and have availed
! themselves of this material to an un-
limited extent. Naturally very much
must be presented IN regard TO lnveu-
tions and inventive progress besides
those things for which Mr.. Edison him.
self stands rs the inventor. And though
these volumes, as the authors say, 'aIm
TO be biography rather than history
of electricity, they have had TO cover
so much general ground in defining the
relations and contributions of Edison to
the electric arts, that they servo To pre-
sent picture of the whole development
effected in the last fifty years, the most
fruitful that electricity has known, -
! In doing this they have generally avoid
ed technical and abstruse phrases and
have explained very fully and III pop"
ular terms Just what it is that has been
accomplished and especially what Mr..
Edison has accomplished.
The first volume, after the introduc"
tiou, has eighteen chapters, entitled as
follows; "The Age. of Electricity -
* Edison's s Pedigree, Bovhood at
Port Huron. Michigan - "The Young
Telegraph Operator. - 81 ''Arduous Years
in the Central West - "Work and In
vention in Boston, 'tThc Stock Tick
err Automatic, Duplex, and Quadru-
plex Telegraphy, The Telephone, Mo.
tograph, and Microphone. The Phon-
descent Lamp" "Mcmories of Menlo
Park ga World-Hupt for E'iIament
Material,' "Inventing Complete
System of Lighting, /" Introduction of
the Edison Electric Light, ~ 'The First
Edison Central Station, - fEOther Early
Stations-Tbe Meter" "The Electric
Railway
The second volume comprises eleven
chapters, as follows: "Magpetic Ore
Milling Work. - ''Edison Portland Ce~
ment, =" "Motion Picturcs,n "The De-
velopment of the Edison Storage Bat
tery,n Miscellaneous Inventions, "
e 1p Inr I Tb.,
Laboratory at Orange and the Staff. -
Edison in Commerce and Manufac-
ture," "rhe Value of Edison s Inven-
tions TO the World" "Tbe Black
FLAG" 'fThe social Side of Edison,''
There is, besides, an appendix treat
ing Of the stock printer, the quarruplex
and phonoplex, automatic telegraphy,
the electro-motograph, the telephone,
Edlson's tasimeter. the Edison pbono-
graph, the incandescent lamp, the Edi-
son dynamo work. the Edison feeder
system. the three-wire system. Edison s
electric railway, train teIegraphy, the
klnetograph and projecting kinctoscope,
Edison S ore milling inventions, the long
cement kiln, Edison S new storage bat
terry, and Edison 8 poured cement
houses. The appendix also contains a
list of United States patents granted to
Thomas A, Edison. arranged according
TO dates OF execution, and applications
for such patents. the list showing iDyen-
tions of Mr., Edison and the work upon
them from year to year, The patents
number over fourteen hundred. besides
the numerous caveats which he has
fled There is Il list also of foreign pat
entS he has received numbering 1893,
The book concludes with wellm made
index by means Of which one can turn
to any matter desired.
The authors of this work have GER
taInly done their task in spirit Of the
most enthusiastic admiration for Mr..
Edison. They are Edison partisans
through and through. and it is quite
proper. that they should be- Whenever
there is any question as between Edi-
son and any other inventor, they unhes-
Itatlngly pronounce in favor of Edison.
doubtless expecting that whoever treats
Of the other fellows claim will do the
like for his man. It is really n merit
In the authors to be so single minded in
support of Edison. because it gives us
exactly what we want to know about
Edison. Just what he claims, and with
respect to the contested matters any-
one interested in them can look I'M the
other side for himself. The work is
thoroughly good, and the volumes arc
pIf fOrtl i'm first ol.Sr char, L..