000 02523nam a2200253 i 4500
001 047095
005 20231009192926.0
008 310518s20132013njua b 001 0 eng
020 _a9780691057767 (hardback : acid-free paper)
050 0 0 _aTK140.T4
_bC37 2013
082 1 _a92 TES
_2
100 1 _aCarlson, W. Bernard
245 1 0 _aTesla :
_binventor of the electrical age
_c/ W. Bernard Carlson.
260 _aPrinceton, NJ
_b: Princeton University Press
_c, c2013
300 _axiii, 500 pages
_b: illustrations
_c; 25 cm
504 _aIncludes bibliographical references (page 423-471) and index.
520 _aNikola Tesla was a major contributor to the electrical revolution that transformed daily life at the turn of the twentieth century. His inventions, patents, and theoretical work formed the basis of modern AC electricity, and contributed to the development of radio and television. Like his competitor Thomas Edison, Tesla was one of America's first celebrity scientists, enjoying the company of New York high society and dazzling the likes of Mark Twain with his electrical demonstrations. An astute self-promoter and gifted showman, he cultivated a public image of the eccentric genius. Even at the end of his life when he was living in poverty, Tesla still attracted reporters to his annual birthday interview, regaling them with claims that he had invented a particle-beam weapon capable of bringing down enemy aircraft. Plenty of biographies glamorize Tesla and his eccentricities, but until now none has carefully examined what, how, and why he invented. In this groundbreaking book, W. Bernard Carlson demystifies the legendary inventor, placing him within the cultural and technological context of his time, and focusing on his inventions themselves as well as the creation and maintenance of his celebrity. Drawing on original documents from Tesla's private and public life, Carlson shows how he was an "idealist" inventor who sought the perfect experimental realization of a great idea or principle, and who skillfully sold his inventions to the public through mythmaking and illusion. This major biography sheds new light on Tesla's visionary approach to invention and the business strategies behind his most important technological breakthroughs--Provided by publisher.
546 _aEnglish
600 1 _aTesla, Nikola, 1856-1943
650 1 4 _aElectrical engineers
_z-United States
_x-Biography
650 1 4 _aInventors
_x-United States
_v- Biography
942 _cMO
999 _c252180
_d252180