One of the most prolific and multi-talented geniuses the world has ever seen, Thomas Alva Edison's life is indeed an inspiration for each new generation. Today we live in a world that would not have been possible if not for several of his important inventions – the electric light bulb, the motion picture camera, electric power distribution, the phonograph, and a host of other things that we take for granted today. In fact, he still holds the world record for the maximum number of patents, numbering 1093 in all!
Edison – His Life and Inventions by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin, published in 1910 was in fact a biography commissioned by Edison himself. Dyer was a patent attorney who worked for Edison, while Commerford was a technical magazine editor who published many of Edison's papers. There is consequently a great deal of focus on the technical aspects of his inventions and not so much on his personality and nature. However, as a chronological account of his life, the biography does full justice to its title.
