The papers of Thomas Edison, vol 5: Research to development at Menlo Park (1879-1881)

The fifth volume of The Papers of Thomas A. Edison covers Edison's invention and development of the first commercial incandescent electric light and power system. In the process he turned his famed Menlo Park laboratory into the first true research and development facility. This also enabled him to develop a new telephone for the British market in the midst of his herculean efforts on electric lighting. In the face of daunting technical challenges and skepticism from leading scientists and engineers, Edison and his team of experimenters and machinists found the solution to the decades-old problem of creating a practical incandescent lamp. By focusing on the characteristics of the entire system Edison reconceptualized the requirements of a successful lamp design. While rivals worked primarily on lamps, Edison developed other parts of a complete system as well. This approach was most notable in his revolutionary work on generator technology, one of the highlights of this volume. Successful exhibitions of the system in December 1879 drew crowds to Menlo Park to witness the softly glowing lamps. These spectacles gratified his financial backers but Edison realized the importance of following experimental demonstrations with the hard work of commercial development. He needed to make each component work effectively in daily use and to improve the designs so that they were easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture. To create a daytime market for electricity he also developed electric motors for a variety of uses, including electric railways, for which he built a small demonstration line at Menlo Park. To accomplish all this Edison greatly enlarged his staff to as many as sixty experimenters, machinists, carpenters, and office workers. He began manufacturing lamps at a factory in Menlo Park. At the end of 1880, Edison was ready to move his system into commercial production and made plans to produce other components in New York. He also invited New York officials to a demonstration in order to win their approval for running underground lines in lower Manhattan where he planned to put his first commercial central station. In March 1881, he moved to the Edison Electric Light Company's headquarters on Fifth Avenue and began the hard work of introducing the new electric light and power technology.

The third volume of this widely acclaimed series reveals the breath-taking intensity, intellectual acumen, and vast self-confidence of twenty-nine-year-old Thomas Edison. In the depths of the 1870s depression, he moved his independent research and development laboratory from industrial Newark to pastoral Menlo Park, some fifteen miles to the south on the main line of the railroad from New York to Philadelphia. There, equipped with resources for experimental development that were extraordinary for their time, Edison and a few close associates began twenty months of research that expanded their well-established accomplishments in telegraphy into pioneering work on the telephone. Edison's ideas and techniques from telegraph message recording and the telephone next led to his invention of the phonograph, the first patent for which was filed in December 1877. This invention ultimately gave Edison a world-wide reputation--and the nickname "the wizard of Menlo Park."

Praise for previous volumes of The Papers of Thomas A. Edison:

"Those interested in America's technological culture can eagerly look forward to the appearance of each volume of the Edison Papers." -- Technology and Culture

"The essence of the volume is Edison's technical notebooks, a window onto the inventor's workshop. His lucidity comes through everywhere... His writing and drawing come together as a single, vigorous thought process."--Russell McCormmach, New York Times.

"A mine of material... Scrupulously edited... No one could ask for more... A choplicking feast for Edison biographers--well into the next century, and perhaps beyond."--Fred Howard, Washington Post.

"A triumph of thebookmaker's art, with splendidly arranged illustrations, essential background information, and cautionary reminders of the common sources on which Edison's imagination drew."--David Joravsky, New York Review of Books.

"In the pages of this volume Edison the man, his work, and his times come alive... A delight to browse through or to read carefully."--Thomas J. Misa, Science.

The third volume of this widely acclaimed series reveals the breath-taking intensity, intellectual acumen, and vast self-confidence of twenty-nine-year-old Thomas Edison. In the depths of the 1870s depression, he moved his independent research and development laboratory from industrial Newark to pastoral Menlo Park, some fifteen miles to the south on the main line of the railroad from New York to Philadelphia. There, equipped with resources for experimental development that were extraordinary for their time, Edison and a few close associates began twenty months of research that expanded their well-established accomplishments in telegraphy into pioneering work on the telephone. Edison's ideas and techniques from telegraph message recording and the telephone next led to his invention of the phonograph, the first patent for which was filed in December 1877. This invention ultimately gave Edison a world-wide reputation--and the nickname "the wizard of Menlo Park."Praise for previous volumes of The Papers of Thomas A. Edison: "Those interested in America's technological culture can eagerly look forward to the appearance of each volume of the Edison Papers." -- Technology and Culture "The essence of the volume is Edison's technical notebooks, a window onto the inventor's workshop. His lucidity comes through everywhere... His writing and drawing come together as a single, vigorous thought process."--Russell McCormmach, New York Times. "A mine of material... Scrupulously edited... No one could ask for more... A choplicking feast for Edison biographers--well into the next century, and perhaps beyond."--Fred Howard, Washington Post. "A triumph of the bookmaker's art, withsplendidly arranged illustrations, essential background information, and cautionary reminders of the common sources on which Edison's imagination drew."--David Joravsky, New York Review of Books. "In the pages of this volume Edison the man, his work, and his times come alive... A delight to browse through or to read carefully."--Thomas J. Misa, Science. The third volume of this widely acclaimed series reveals the breath-taking intensity, intellectual acumen, and vast self-confidence of twenty-nine-year-old Thomas Edison. In the depths of the 1870s depression, he moved his independent research and development laboratory from industrial Newark to pastoral Menlo Park, some fifteen miles to the south on the main line of the railroad from New York to Philadelphia. There, equipped with resources for experimental development that were extraordinary for their time, Edison and a few close associates began twenty months of research that expanded their well-established accomplishments in telegraphy into pioneering work on the telephone. Edison's ideas and techniques from telegraph message recording and the telephone next led to his invention of the phonograph, the first patent for which was filed in December 1877. This invention ultimately gave Edison a world-wide reputation--and the nickname "the wizard of Menlo Park."Praise for previous volumes of The Papers of Thomas A. Edison: "The essence of the volume is Edison's technical notebooks, a window onto the inventor's workshop. His lucidity comes through everywhere... His writing and drawing come together as a single, vigorous thought process."--Russell McCormmach, New York Times. "A mine of material... Scrupulously edited... No one could ask for more... A choplicking feast for Edison biographers--well into the next century, and perhaps beyond."--Fred Howard, Washington Post. "A triumph of the bookmaker's art, with splendidly arranged illustrations, essential background information, and cautionary reminders of the common sources on which Edison's imagination drew."--David Joravsky, New York Review of Books. "In the pages of this volume Edison the man, his work, and his times come alive... A delight to browse through or to read carefully."--Thomas J. Misa, Science.

This newest volume in the acclaimed Papers of Thomas A. Edison covers one year in the life of America's greatest inventor -- 1878. That year Edison, whom a New York newspaper in the spring first called "the Wizard of Menlo Park," developed the phonograph, one of his most famous inventions; made a breakthrough in the development of telephone transmitters, which made the instrument commercially viable; and announced the advent of domestic electric lighting, with only a few weeks' worth of tinkering necessary to complete its design (the announcement sent gas-company stocks plummeting; the research and development went on for four years).

These inventions brought Edison financial support for his work and attention from the public. In January investors in the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company agreed to fund development work on the phonograph. The invention made Edison internationally famous and in May he traveled to Washington, D.C., to show the phonograph at the National Academy of Sciences, to Congress, and to President Rutherford B. Hayes at the White House. That same month Western Union agreed to pay Edison an annual salary of $6,000 for his telephone inventions, although other support from the company declined following the death of its president, William Orton. The stress of unceasing public attention, including a trans-Atlantic dispute over the question of who invented the microphone, led an exhausted Edison to travel west during the summer to witness a solar eclipse but also to seek rest. His six-week trip took him to San Francisco and the Yosemite region of California. Edison began working on electric lighting after his return and in October the Edison Electric LightCompany was formed to support his research.

This newest volume in the acclaimed Papers of Thomas A. Edison covers one year in the life of America's greatest inventor--1878. That year Edison, whom a New York newspaper in the spring first called the Wizard of Menlo Park, developed the phonograph, one of his most famous inventions; made a breakthrough in the development of telephone transmitters, which made the instrument commercially viable; and announced the advent of domestic electric lighting, with only a few weeks' worth of tinkering necessary to complete its design (the announcement sent gas-company stocks plummeting; the research and development went on for four years). These inventions brought Edison financial support for his work and attention from the public. In January investors in the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company agreed to fund development work on the phonograph. The invention made Edison internationally famous and in May he traveled to Washington, D.C., to show the phonograph at the National Academy of Sciences, to Congress, and to President Rutherford B. Hayes at the White House. That same month Western Union agreed to pay Edison an annual salary of $6,000 for his telephone inventions, although other support from the company declined following the death of its president, William Orton. The stress of unceasing public attention, including a trans-Atlantic dispute over the question of who invented the microphone, led an exhausted Edison to travel west during the summer to witness a solar eclipse but also to seek rest. His six-week trip took him to San Francisco and the Yosemite region of California. Edison began working on electric lighting after his return and in October the Edison Electric Light Company was formed to support his research. The third volume of this widely acclaimed series reveals the breath-taking intensity, intellectual acumen, and vast self-confidence of twenty-nine-year-old Thomas Edison. In the depths of the 1870s depression, he moved his independent research and development laboratory from industrial Newark to pastoral Menlo Park, some fifteen miles to the south on the main line of the railroad from New York to Philadelphia. There, equipped with resources for experimental development that were extraordinary for their time, Edison and a few close associates began twenty months of research that expanded their well-established accomplishments in telegraphy into pioneering work on the telephone. Edison's ideas and techniques from telegraph message recording and the telephone next led to his invention of the phonograph, the first patent for which was filed in December 1877. This invention ultimately gave Edison a world-wide reputation -- and the nickname "the wizard of Menlo Park." V. 1. The Making Of An Inventor, February 1847-june 1873 (c1989) -- V. 2. From Workshop To Laboratory, June 1873-march 1876 (c1991) -- V. 3. Menlo Park: The Early Years, April 1876-december 1877 (c1994) -- V. 4. The Wizard Of Menlo Park, 1878 -- V. 5. Research To Development At Menlo Park, January 1879-march 1881 (c2004) -- V. 6. Electrifying New York And Abroad, April 1881-march 1883 (c2007) -- V. 7. Losses And Loyalties, April 1883-december 1884 (c2011) -- V. 8. New Beginnings, January 1885-december 1887 (c2015). Editors, Reese V. Jenkins [and Others]. Vol. 4 Edited By Paul B. Israel, Keith A. Nier, Louis Carlat. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. This third volume describes how Edison moved his laboratory from Newark to Menlo Park during the 1870s depression. His work there led to his invention of the phonograph, the first patent for which was filed in December 1970. At the beginning of the New Year, Edison focused his efforts largely on the project to which he had committed his laboratory in the latter half of 1878-incandescent electric lighting.