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Edison: A Life of InventionFrom the preeminent Edison scholar . . . The definitive life of the inventor of the modern age The conventional story is so familiar and reassuring that it has come to read more like American myth than history: With only three months of formal education, a curious and hardworking young man beats the odds and becomes one of the greatest inventors in history. Not only does he invent the phonograph and the first successful electric light bulb, but he
From the preeminent Edison scholar . . . The definitive life of the inventor of the modern age The conventional story is so familiar and reassuring that it has come to read more like American myth than history: With only three months of formal education, a curious and hardworking young man beats the odds and becomes one of the greatest inventors in history. Not only does he invent the phonograph and the first successful electric light bulb, but he also establishes the first electrical power distribution company and lays the technological groundwork for today's movies, telephones, and sound recording industry. Through relentless tinkering, by trial and error, the story goes, Thomas Alva Edison perseveres-and changes the world. In the revelatory Edison: A Life of Invention, author Paul Israel exposes and enriches this one-dimensional view of the solitary "Wizard of Menlo Park," expertly situating his subject within a thoroughly realized portrait of a burgeoning country on the brink of massive change. The second half of the nineteenth century witnessed the birth of corporate America, and with it the newly overlapping interests of scientific, technological, and industrial cultures. Working against the common perception of Edison as a symbol of a mythic American past where persistence and individuality yielded hard-earned success, Israel demonstrates how Edison's remarkable career was actually very much a product of the inventor's fast-changing era. Edison drew widely from contemporary scientific knowledge and research, and was a crucial figure in the transformation of invention into modern corporate research and collaborative development. Informed by more than five million pages of archival documents, Paul Israel's ambitious life of Edison brightens the unexamined corners of a singularly influential and triumphant career in science. In these pages, history's most prolific inventor-he received an astounding 1,093 U.S. patents-comes to life as never before. Edison is the only biography to cover the whole of Edison's career in invention, including his early, foundational work in telegraphy. Armed with unprecedented access to Edison's workshop diaries, notebooks, and letters, Israel brings fresh insights into how the inventor's creative mind worked. And for the first time, much attention is devoted to his early family life in Ohio and Michigan-where the young Edison honed his entrepreneurial sense and eye for innovation as a newsstand owner and editor of a weekly newspaper-underscoring the inventor's later successes with new resonance and pathos. In recognizing the inventor's legacy as a pivotal figure in the second Industrial Revolution, Israel highlights Edison's creation of the industrial research laboratory, driven by intricately structured teams of researchers. The efficient lab forever changed the previously serendipitous art of workshop invention into something regular, predictable, and very attractive to corporate business leaders. Indeed, Edison's collaborative research model became the prototype upon which today's research firms and think tanks are based. The portrait of Thomas Alva Edison that emerges from this peerless biography is of a man of genius and astounding foresight. It is also a portrait rendered with incredible care, depth, and dimension, rescuing our century's godfather of invention from myth and simplification. Advance Praise for Edison: A Life of Invention "Familiar Edison stories come alive with fresh insight . . . Israel's scholarship is impeccable while his deceptively easy grace transforms a challenging story into a page turner. One hundred years of history texts have been right all along. Thomas Edison, a protean actor on the American landscape, requires our attention. Paul Israel has given us a book to satisfy that requirement for a long time to come."- John M. Staudenmaier, S.J., Editor, Technology and CultureBinding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 03/01/2000
ISBN: 9780471362708
Pages: 552
Weight: 1.71lbs
Size: 9.38h x 6.12w x 1.45d
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 2021 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Great mascara, my new favorite!
Size: 0.27 Fl Oz (Pack of 1), Style: Mascara/Lash Primer
I think this is my favorite mascara of all time! lol!
Goes on very easy and not clumping. Makes my eyelashes look longer.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Mascara is good, but don’t expect the best - smudges & flakes sometimes
Size: 0.27 Fl Oz (Pack of 1), Style: Mascara/Lash Primer
This mascara is very good for lengthening when you use the primer. I’m not sure I’ve noticed a volume/thickness increase, but have noticed lash length does look longer. I usually give it about 30 seconds for the primer to dry before using the mascara, otherwise it does clump a bit. I would also recommend wiggling both wands along your lashes during application to avoid clumps. In general I do like this, but noticed a few other important points: it will definitely run a lot if you get it wet (e.g. rain or crying), it will flake or smudge a little by the end of the day - especially if you rub your eyes, and while it does not make my eyes itch, I found it best to put in my contacts AFTER the mascara is fully dry. I’ve accidentally got some mascara a few times in my eye with the wand/trying to smooth out clumps and it totally made my contacts (daily wear type) useless after that. That all probably sounds like the mascara isn’t worth it, however I still actually like this mascara. I’d say it’s perfect for an average day’s wear, just not an extended day or in some cases. It does come off fully for me.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2022
★★★★★ 5
My Go-To Mascara for Years — Makes My Lashes Look Fuller and Longer!
Size: 0.27 Fl Oz (Pack of 1), Style: Mascara/Lash Primer
I’ve been using this mascara brand for a few years now, and it’s never let me down. This particular two-in-one (primer + mascara) combo works so well — it gives my lashes a great boost and really helps them look fuller and longer over time with consistent use.
Every time I wear it, I genuinely feel more confident and put-together — it just makes me look prettier, and that’s always a plus! The primer adds volume and helps the mascara go on smoothly without clumps. It lasts well throughout the day, too.
If you’re looking for a reliable mascara that delivers results and enhances your natural lashes, I definitely recommend this one!
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Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2025
★★★★★ 3
okay so far
Size: 0.27 Fl Oz (Pack of 1), Style: Mascara/Lash Primer
bought this because i have recently developed a sensitivity to heavy makeup around the eyes. loved the ingredients of this mascara and rates a 3 on the think dirty app (amazing app check it out!) that being said, i honestly didn’t expect any crazy results like i would with my prior mascaras (l’oréal lash paradise and maybelline lash sensational) and i was right, it took forever for me to apply a decent amount to my lashes.
both sides seemed kind of dried out too, not the thick consistency that people were talking about in the reviews. the primer was dry and sort of settled in clumps around my lashes and i did the best i could to comb them out but i ended out plucking out the clumps with my finger tips. the mascara itself was very thin but no clumping, just felt dried out like i said. my lashes fell straight in a matter of half an hour.
it also flaked throughout the day and i spent it entirely indoors. i rubbed my eye once or twice and my inner corner felt a little irritated but im not sure it’s because of the product itself. the packaging itself is a little bulky when applying but i guess it’s a matter of working with it. i think it’s a little pricey for what it is but i think i can work with it, given that i don’t want harsh chemicals around my eyes. i will continue to be on the hunt for a “clean” mascara that works better though
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Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2021
★★★★★ 5
Sensitive eyes, and actual visible LASHES now.
Size: 0.27 Fl Oz (Pack of 1), Style: Mascara/Lash Primer, Size: 0.27 Fl Oz (Pack of 1), Style: Mascara/Lash Primer
I've gone through so many different mascara products to be able to try and find the ones that are going to work with my sensitive eyes.
I have blonde eyelashes that stick straight out and are very long for them being blonde.
I was using physicians formula for years and years and years and years and then it got to the point where they switched the formula recently?
And I was not getting any desired results. On a whim I decided to buy this even though it is about 10 to $12 more than what I would normally spend and I was blown away.
I love the pre mascara coating, and the mascara is just so clean and so soft... It's easy to remove stays in place!
It does not budge.
This is a quality product 10 and a 10 100 out of 10 if I could vote it that way. Fair-skinned fair eyebrows fair eyelashes we just want to have normal looking lashes.... That's all we ask in this product delivers!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2025