Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World

I loved this book. As a fan of all three of the men profiled in this book - wait - actually, I wasn't a fan of Westinghouse until I read this book. If you had to compare Westinghouse to someone in 2016 it would be Jeff Bezos. Westinghouse valued innovation and people above profits. The other two men are equally amazing characters and make this a fascinating read. Jill Jonnes did an amazing job. The research seems REALLY detailed. And since most of the players are gone, I'm sure she had to read VOLUMES of newspapers and books to get this amount of detail. It's an amazing chronicle of the early days of how electricity became a part of our everyday lives. What's really amazing is how much Nikola Tesla created to really become the architect of our modern day electrical grid. If you're interested in inventors and inventing, you'll love this book. As a kid, I knew nothing about Tesla. I lived close to many of the places chronicled in this book (Edison's lab and home were in West Orange, NJ where I was raised) and used to visit the Edison National Historic site often. My grandfather actually worked for Thomas Edison and met the man (actually they called him "the old man") on a few occations. So as a child, Edison was my hero. As an adult I still admired Edison and his tenacity, but Tesla was really a genius. He saw the universe in a really unique way. That info is VERY clear in this book without any opinion from Jill Jonnes. I understand there's a movie underway chronicling the events in this book. Although I'm not sure it's really an adaptation of this book. I loved it. I was sad when I finished it. btw....I'm a fine artist and I drew the attached portrait of Tesla....on an iPad.

I loved this book! I bought it hoping to learn, more than anything, about Tesla. I ended up learning an incredible amount about Tesla, Edison and Westinghouse--and a lot about the time period they lived, as well. Each of the three men came to life in this book! The vast majority of the book is really interesting. There are a few parts where it seemed to bog down a little bit with unnecessary detail, and a little bit of repetitiveness in parts. Overall, though, Jill Jones has done an excellent job at portraying the challenges each of these three men faced, their character (good and bad), and how the times in which they lived impacted them. Most of all, she shows how they impacted the world. It's a thrilling time period to study, and I don't think I would have wanted to start reading about these men any other way than by reading about them together, as Jones weaved their stories together in this book. I think understanding them together gives a fairly balanced view of each man that would be harder to get in a single biography of any one of them.

This book is so good they could make it into a movie. I've worked for an electrical power utility for over 38 years and I'm a history buff so this was a double pleasure for me. Jill Jonnes gives us a fascinating look at the origins of electrical power in the U.S. There is something here for everyone: the macabre account of the first execution by electrocution, and the equally gut-wrenching story of the lineman in New York who died a horrible death dangling from high-voltage wires forty feet above the pavement. His body burned and spewed blood while the frightened onlookers could do nothing to save him. Then there is the inspiring story of Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla, the three who get the most credit for advancing and solidifying electrical power as a viable business in the U.S. Whether they were "geniuses" or not is a matter of your own perspective. They were certainly workaholics who had extraordinary intelligence and vision about what could be done with new technology. (Edison once worked five days straight while inventing the phonograph.) There was a great battle between alternating and direct current. Edison stubbornly fought AC all the way. He felt it was unsafe for use by the general public because of the danger of lethal electric shock. He bragged that with his DC system, anyone would survive accidental contact, although the proponents of AC led by Westinghouse countered with the fact that Edison's DC system had caused many fires, both in customers' houses and in the central generating plants. The author points out that Edison may have had another reason, his own pride. Anyone in the business at that time could see the obvious advantage of AC over DC. DC was limited to about a one-mile radius of the generator, where AC could be transmitted several miles by stepping voltage up or down as needed with Westinghouse's new transformers. And once Tesla's AC two-phase motor was developed for commercial use, Edison's DC system was doomed. Tesla turned into a sort of benevolent mad scientist after the Niagara project--Dr. Frankenstein with his gigantic Tesla coils, shooting lightning into the atmosphere. At one point his lab pulled so much power he caused the Colorado Springs powerhouse to trip off line, throwing the entire area into a blackout. Tesla's visionary dream, apparently, was to develop a means of transmitting power wirelessly. All humanity could tap into the standing wave generated by the Tesla coils, or whatever, and thereby receive free electricity. Tesla naturally needed huge financial support for this and he turned to J.P. Morgan who had financed the Niagara project and many other large ventures. But Morgan had seen too many of Tesla's projects come to naught, so he declined to back any more of them. Among Tesla's many experiments were the fluorescent light and the radio transmitter-receiver, the later being carried forward by Marconi who may have purloined some of Tesla's patents. Two great projects did the most to advance electric power: the 1893 Columbia Exposition in Chicago, and the Niagara Falls hydro-generator plant. Tesla and Westinghouse were the brains and brawn behind the Niagara project completed in 1895, and it was Westinghouse who got the contract to light up the Chicago World's Fair. In 1893 only the wealthiest Americans could enjoy the advantages of electric light. The fair, known as the White City, showed all Americans the marvels of electrical light and appliances. The advent of electrical power in the U.S. was a struggle of hard-driven men plowing new ground against constant financial and legal setbacks, the intrigues and subterfuge of their competitors, and the race forward with a technology that was only barely understood at the time. But once it took hold it spread like wildfire as almost everyone, rich or poor, wanted to convert to electric. Indeed, the success of America in WW II, the great arsenal of democracy, was due in large part to the fact that by 1940 cheap electrical power was available in every part of the country, even the desert of New Mexico.

This is a book worth reading. It tells the story of the pioneers that made our modern world what enjoy today. Good read...well researched.

Jonnes does a great job telling the combined Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse story. As other reviewers have noted, if you are a fan of Silicon Valley and the way Great Things begin, this is an excellent book and will keep you engaged. As most of us are familiar with Edison's great works, and to a lesser extent, Tesla's, Mr. Westinghouse was another Phenom innovator and businessman of his time. What separated him was he was actually a good guy to work for -- he took care of his people and paid them well for their toil. He created things young -- the Air Brake being an overarching achievement while in his early 20s. Something that still has relevance in modern times. Not only is this a good book to read, it's also a good book to re-read.

Arrivato in ottime condizioni. L’ho preso come testo facoltativo per l’università quindi non mi sento di poter dare un giudizio equo sul contenuto avendo DOVUTO leggerlo…

I wanted to have this book since long.

Jonnes vividly portrays the influence that the Morgan, the Edison, The Tesla and The Westhinghouse have had on the history of electricity since the late 19th century. The epic story of the development of electricity in the world is inextricably related to the history of the AD/DC war between Edison (Morgan) and Tesla (Westhinghouse). Jonnes reveals details long hidden to the public. This superb history will be an important book for PR and communication students,

The tale is written in a light style with the competition for business and social success put into the historic context. The personalities are drawn large and many technical details are glossed over but this makes it readable and enjoyable.

El libro tiene información abundante, documentada de la mejor manera con las referencias históricas directas. Además está presentado como una línea de tiempo, lo que ayuda a entender el contexto político y social en donde se desarrollaron las tecnologías. A quien quiera entender cómo ha revolucionado nuestra vida la electricidad y en modo más general cómo la cambian las nuevas tecnologías, le brindará datos imprescindibles escritos en un estilo atractivo.