This book goes more in detail about Thomas Alva Edison than any other book can.It looks at the life of America's and the world's greatest inventor.

I looked for the best Edison story book for a kid who is attending ESL (English as the second language) class to learn his third language (Chinese, French and English). I found too many books on Edison. I didn't find any good one until I saw this book. After I read it over in bookstore, I bought it. I like it and the kid likes it. Now I will ask Edison Museum if it has this book. If not, I will buy one and donate it for the museum. It is the best Edison story book for all kids.

If young students do not know what Thomas Alva Edison is arguably the most brilliant scientist in American history, then they will after reading this juvenile biography by Nicholas Nirgiotis for the Cornerstones of Freedom series. Nirgiotis begins with the famous story of Edison inventing the electric light, using the example to emphasize the scientist's determination testing 1,500 different materials to serve as the filament. This biography tells how the young Edison exhibited both of the key qualities that defined his work: scientific curiosity and economic profitability. Time and again Nirgiotis relates Edison's inventions to his scientific method, at one point noting that Edison "never questioned WHETHER something might be done, only HOW." The book ends with Edison's inventing the phonograph, which he considered his most important invention, and motion pictures. Edison himself noted the changes wrought in his life time: covered wagons traveled West past his home in Ohio when he was a boy and now electric lights illuminated homes and businesses across the nation. There are not that many volumes in the Cornerstones of Freedom series that focus on people rather than events in the history of this country, but certainly Thomas Alva Edison deserves such a volume. Nirgiotis gives young readers a sense of the scope of Edison's genius and achievements that goes well beyond what few words are devoted to the man in our history textbooks.

THIS BOOK SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED BY IT'S COVER ! THIS IS A BIOGRAPHY OF MR. EDISON FROM BOYHOOD.I DID NOT KNOW THAT HE WAS HOMESCHOOLED AND THAT HE WAS DEAF. VERY GOOD READ. I DO NOT KNOW HOW HIS WIFE PUT UP WITH HIS WORK HOURS. COVER ILLUSTRATION IS MISLEADING. GOOD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS OF ANY AGE.

At Work With Thomas Edison is a great book. I had always pictured Edison as the lone inventor. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book proved many of my ideas about Edison were simply myths. On the other had this book also expanded my view about the truly amazing accomplishments of Thomas Edison (he started over 100 companies include GE and had over 1,000 patents).

As the book quickly points out Edison was one of the first practitioners in the war for talent. Edison's lab was the first innovation factory and in many ways a precursor to Silicon Valley. The lab had no rules (pet bear, pipe organ, and pranks) and was a true meritocracy. Edison's lab had a basic apprenticeship program and Edition worked with many, many people on the innovation teams that worked on projects. The electric light bulb team was over 75 people.

The book also cast a complementary light on Edison as a businessman. The innovations of the labs lead to the founding of over 100 companies. The labs innovations lead to a virtuous cycle of products, systems, and industries. This led to more innovation and more businesses. Edison was not Rockefeller nor did he want to be he wanted his business to continue to provide funding for invention. Edison was adept at capturing and using venture capital.

Edison was also quite adept at marketing. At a time before self-promotion was recognized or well understood Edison was adept at it. Edison's ability to market himself and his ideas lead to better funding, recognition, and a reputation, which allowed him to invent even more.

This is a great book. Edison was one of the greatest Americans to have ever lived.

At Work With Thomas Edison: 10 Business Lessons From Ame4rica's Greatest Innovator by Blaine McCormick (management professor at the Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University) is a savvy presentation of ten crucial business lessons from America's greatest inventor. A an astute businessman as well as a famed inventor and creator of the world's first research and development (R&D) operation, Thomas Edison's management techniques helped him incorporate over 100 businesses and contain much wisdom to remember in today's modern world. Innovative, inspirational, and motivational reading.

Here is another terrific book from Blaine McCormick who, as he did so skillfully in Ben Franklin's 12 Rules of Management, focuses on an historic figure from whose life and work certain important "lessons" can be learned. Yes, they include lessons relevant to business but so many other kinds of lessons which anyone needs inorder to think more clearly and more creatively, to nourish and enrich one's personal life, and of equal (if not greater) importance, to persevere in the face of great adversity. Most people would agree that Edison was the greatest inventor who ever lived. Most people may not know that he was also a very shrewd businessman with a deep understanding of key issues such as allocation of resources (e.g. time management), setting proper priorities, delegating work to those better qualified to complete it, and creating and then sustain competitive advantage.

McCormick identifies and then examines ten different "Lessons" which, collectively, delineate Edison's business model:

1. Limit your way to greater creativity.

2. Talent comes and talent goes but mediocrity accumulates.

3. Creativity is all about making connections.

4. If you want to invent, build yourself an invention factory.

5. The greatest innovators have made a lot of F's.

An interesting point because most people fear failure. Edison passionately believed that the more failed experiments (whatever the situation) he completed, the more likely eventual success would be. Only through rigorous and extensive experimentation is it possible to determine what we don't know, and, what doesn't work. Moreover, what is true today and what works today may be inadequate or even wrong tomorrow. For Edison, failure (not success) was the best teacher. He was an avid student whose appetite for learning was insatiable.

6. In a capitalist society, whoever attracts the most capital wins.

7. The best-promoted technology will often beat the best technology.

8. The price of freedom is a premium most customers are willing to pay.

Another interesting point. An abundance of research data on "customer satisfaction" indicate that "convenience" (or "ease of doing business") is almost always ranked #1 or #2 among attributes. FYI, "Price" is ranked anywhere from #9 to #14.

9. Play is to innovation what rules are to bureaucracy.

10. Glow, but don't consume yourself.

McCormick organizes his material within ten chapters, including with several an "Interview with an Innovator" section which poses questions or explores issues such as "Why Do So Many Men Never Amount to Anything?" and "How to Succeed as an Innovator." Throughout the crisp narrative, the reader is provided with dozens of brief quotations from Edison's writings which correlated with relevant "Lessons" and anchored in specific situations throughout his life. All of us are by now weary of (indeed hostile to) books which provide flimsy lessons from questionable sources, such as "People Skills Lessons from the World's Greatest Hermits." Both in his book on Franklin and in this book on Edison, McCormick focuses on "Lessons" (albeit familiar) which are wholly authentic within the context he creates for them. Wisely, McCormick allows Edison the last word: "My philosophy of life is work -- bringing out the secrets of nature and applying them for the happiness of man. I know of no better service to render during the short time we are in this world." There is no way I (or anyone else) can improve on that so I shall not try. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Edison in the Boardroom, co-authored by Julie L. Davis and Suzanne S. Harrison.

This is a fun book that should help your youngster develop an interest in American History. It is easy to read an has great illustratiions. You will not be disappointed with this purchase. Look for others by the same author.

I bought this book for my 5-year-old nephew, and already I can hear him laughing at the illustrations of Edison sitting on goose eggs in his father's barn, causing a chemical fire in a baggage car, and courting teacherly reprisals for his apprarent boredom in a conventional classroom. These all-too-human mishaps from the great inventor's life mix well and bring interest to the charmingly illustrated discussion of his accomplishments: lighting up New York City, inventing the phonograph, inventing the first movie camera and making the first movies with a story. More than just providing a laundry list of his accomplishments, though, this little book explains in simple terms how he worked his way up to owning his own laboratories in Menlo Park, first as a candy butcher turned telegrapher, and finally coming into some money with his invention of the stock ticker. Thomas Edison's accomplishments are something to admire, and I'm definitely happy to start my nephew off learning about him with this book.

Have you ever needed a short and sweet biography for younger students yet could only find books for independent readers? Adler has solved the problem. This book is a wonderful introduction for K-3 graders who need information but cant handle those lengthy chapter books. Abundantly illustrated to keep little eyes busy while listening to the story. Loaded with biographical information and includes a timeline of important dates. Other titles in the series include; Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Christopher Colombus, George Washington, Martin Luter King Jr. and others.

Mr Eidson turns in a third well written and thoroughly engaging story which will transport you in time to the hard life of the frontier. I found the book both interesting and profoundly moving in parts - and always entertaining as well as informative. Great literature: well, no. A great read - and one which does not resort to mega-block-buster fantasy - yes! Perhaps the strongest recommendation for the book is the fact that the reviews at this site are rarely less than 4 stars. Can we all be wrong?

Tom Eidson knows how to tell a story. The mixture of nineteenthcentury misfits brought together under the mothering wing of a blindQuaker widow will make the reader deal with his own prejudices as the characters rise above the struggles of frontier America. This is one of Eidson's best offerings to date. It passes St. Agnes' Stand in character depth and dwarfs the plot of The Last Ride. The only one of Eidson's works that surpasses All God's Children in literary worth is Hannah's Gift which was never published in the US. Eidson is one of the hidden gems among American Literature. May his tribe increase.

I thoroughly enjoyed this narrative. It may never win any awards for great literature, but the author has a fertile imagination and comes up with fascinating characters. The events in the story kept me riveted. It's funny, too. But the thing I enjoyed the most was finally reading a novel in which the main characters were truly heroic in their actions. The bad guys are really, really bad dudes (rape, murder, torture - for starters), and you want to stand up, whistle, and clap for the good guys.

This book is wonderful for ages 8 - 12 who want to read about Thomas Edison's childhood and important things about his adult life. Each chapter has exciting stories that happened to this inquisitive boy. He was a very curious boy who would always ask questions. His parents, mother in particular, are very supportive of his curiosity. There are interesting events that happen like when Thomas gets his first ice skates and when he rides on a steam engine train. If you are interested in the world around you and maybe interested in science, then this is the book for you. It's fascinating to read about Thomas Edison as a young boy and as he grows into an adult because the only info I had before was a listing of his inventions. By the way, it would be very fast reading for an adult, and it might be nice if your child is reading this that you read it, too.

Have you ever tried to sit on an egg and hatch it? Thomas Alva Edison did! He was a young who was curious about the world around him. He was born in a city near New York City. His family did not have much money, but they made a great effort to send young Thomas to school. At his first school that he attended, he was expelled for asking too much questions to her teacher. At his other 2 schools that he went too, he was also expelled for asking too many questions. At a young age Thomas would sell newspapers at a railroad. At the young age of 23, Thomas invented the phonograph, which is the grandfather of the Compact Disk. Then a couple of years later Thomas after 7 attempts invented the Light bulb. Years after inventing the light bulb, New York City was entirely lighted by light bulbs thanks to Thomas. He was even called "The wizard of Menlo Park".
This hilarious biography will make you want to keep reading and reading. The only thing that can stop you is the end of the book! The author, Sue Gut ridge, really makes you feel like if you were really Thomas Edison and by the way she describes him, you feel sad when Thomas is sad and you feel happy when Thomas is happy. This book is for someone that likes to laugh and feel really emotional at the same time.
Thomas Edison is a motivating biography that makes you feel better about yourself. When I read this book I felt muck better about my family and myself. I realized that I could be anyone if I wanted to by just closing my eyes and having a good imagination. Read it, buy it; you will have hours of unstoppable fun while you read this marvelous book and it has a marvelous ... price.

This book reveals the Thomas Edison you didn't learn about in elementary school. It is insightful and intelligently written. Edison claimed that invention was 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. This book makes it look more like 1 percent inspiration, 10 percent perspiration, 20 percent public relations, and 69 percent luck. If you are satisfied with Edison the myth, don't read this book. If you seek the truth (perhaps in too much detail) this is for you. To my mind, the real Edison is far more interesting than the one Mrs. Goldberg taught me about in fifth grade.

Conot has captured the details of Edison's much publicized and celebrated scientific endeavors as well as the unpopular personal and business life. This is a well-written chronological story presenting a very 'real' Edison beyond the typical school book lessons. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in a more complete picture of Edison's life.

this book is really good... i found it informative and interesting... i recomend iut to everyone

Remember when you were a child filled with curiousity and wonder about nature? You asked many questions such as why do ducks float, do people go crazy during the full moon and why does do collect in the morning? All of those were great questions and some of them may or may not have been answered to your satisfaction. Now your children are asking the same questions and what are you going to say?

Never fear, dear friends. Outside Magazine's "The Wild File" has provided us with a book answering those various hard questions that we have about nature. Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison is a compendium of the best of The Wild File column. You are presented with five files dealing with various forms of nature. Each file has a question/answer format and cites the person who asked the question.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Some of the questions sounded stupid but in reality made sense. The answers were informative and hilarious. You would be surprised over the number of experts in such esoteric fields of wildlife. For example, one informant researched the number of pushups that lizards do in their exercise regimine. Yes, there are people who really do that.
What is also great about this book is its brevity and accessibility. You can share it with your children as they ask you the great questions of nature. You can spend time finding those answers to questions you had as a child. This is a delighful read. So go out and find out why lizards do pushups and why llamas spit.

This is one of those books that you read in one page sections. It is basically a collection of interesting questions that the author has answered while working for a magazine. The questions are fun and he gives pretty complete answers. The answers are usually about a page in length so if you want to read something for five minutes this book is perfect. The information is cool, I really enjoyed it. It gives you a lot of responces to questions you often hear.