Thomas Edison's great achievements have transformed the lives of everyone in the modern world. Mark Essig here details his role in the one invention to which he never referred - the electric chair.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Reads like a good novel.”
–The Economist
“[An] engaging and meticulously researched book. Part history, part science primer, part meditation on capital punishment …Edison and the Electric Chair delivers a thrilling jolt of electricity.”
–Entertainment Weekly
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
–The Economist
“[An] engaging and meticulously researched book. Part history, part science primer, part meditation on capital punishment …Edison and the Electric Chair delivers a thrilling jolt of electricity.”
–Entertainment Weekly
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From the Inside Flap
Thomas Edison stunned America in 1879 by unveiling a world-changing invention ? the lightbulb. A decade later, despite his lifelong opposition to the death penalty, Edison threw his laboratory resources and reputation behind the creation of a very different device ? the electric chair.
Edison championed the electric chair for reasons that remain controversial. In the mid-1880s, as he wired Manhattan and other cities with his direct-current lines, his rival, George Westinghouse, was undercutting his business with a less expensive alternating current system. The battle for electrical dominance raged just as New York?s legislators were seeking a more humane alternative to the gallows. Called on for his expertise, Edison helped persuade state officials to reject the guillotine and lethal injection in favour of electricity. But there was a catch: Edison insisted that his own direct current was perfectly safe ? only Westinghouse?s alternating current could cause certain death.
Was Edison concerned about the suffering of the condemned? Or was he waging a campaign to smear alternating current and boost his own system?
Deftly exploring this chapter in American history, Mark Essig delivers a vivid portrait of a nation on the cusp of modernity and a new examination of Edison himself. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Edison championed the electric chair for reasons that remain controversial. In the mid-1880s, as he wired Manhattan and other cities with his direct-current lines, his rival, George Westinghouse, was undercutting his business with a less expensive alternating current system. The battle for electrical dominance raged just as New York?s legislators were seeking a more humane alternative to the gallows. Called on for his expertise, Edison helped persuade state officials to reject the guillotine and lethal injection in favour of electricity. But there was a catch: Edison insisted that his own direct current was perfectly safe ? only Westinghouse?s alternating current could cause certain death.
Was Edison concerned about the suffering of the condemned? Or was he waging a campaign to smear alternating current and boost his own system?
Deftly exploring this chapter in American history, Mark Essig delivers a vivid portrait of a nation on the cusp of modernity and a new examination of Edison himself. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Account of the Battle over AC/DC,
By Nuts About Books (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Edison and the Electric Chair (Hardcover)
This is a great book for historians, crime readers and science & engineering buffs. It was a really good read; there is a lot of interesting information about the late-1800s debate over alternating and direct current, and the style is really fast-moving. The book is very well-researched and referenced. I couln't put it down!We often think of death by electrocution as more humane than other methods, such as hanging. This book provides an eye-opening look at the machinations and politics behind the adoption of the electric chair as a method of disposing of criminals. Recommended!
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