The Diary and Sundry Observations of Thomas Alva Edison edited by Dagobert D. Runes provides insight into the somewhat unique thinking and philosophy of the world's most prolific inventor (1093 U.S. patents). Taken from the actual speeches or writings of Edison, the reader learns the thoughts of the inventor on how his inventions have influenced society and more interestingly what Edison thinks about the future.

"With his more than one thousand inventions, Edison symbolizes the inauguration of the electro-industrial era of our time. Edison was almost Franklinian in his defiance of the doctrines of pure science. He was an experimenter and a practical man more than an ingenious theoretician. His inventions were the product of a methodical and prodding mind... The editor has endeavored, in this volume, to present to the reader a selection of Edison's social and philosophic ideas taken from the available notes, statements and observations of the inventor. The reader will find that many of Edison's casual remarks made decades ago have a definite contemporary significance. His propositions in ethics, philsosophy, music and education show a rare combination of whimsey and deep sincerity"--from preface (pages xi and xii).

AC/DC tells the little-known story of how Thomas Edison wrongly bet in the fierce war between supporters of alternating current and direct current. The savagery of this electrical battle can hardly be imagined today. The showdown between AC and DC began as a rather straightforward conflict between technical standards, a battle of competing methods to deliver essentially the same product, electricity. But the skirmish soon metastasized into something bigger and darker. In the AC/DC battle, the worst aspects of human nature somehow got caught up in the wires; a silent, deadly flow of arrogance, vanity, and cruelty. Following the path of least resistance, the war of currents soon settled around that most primal of human emotions: fear. AC/DC serves as an object lesson in bad business strategy and poor decision making. Edison's inability to see his mistake was a key factor in his loss of control over the ?operating system? for his future inventions?not to mention the company he founded, General Electric.

First published in 1927.

"Startlingly original and strangely engrossing… We are no doubt witness to a new talent in the speculative fiction genre…” —Rex Pickett, author of Sideways Aleister Crowley and Nikola Tesla confront the enigma of Thomas Edison's new invention: a phone to communicate with the dead. It is August 1899, and Thomas Edison proclaims his most amazing invention yet: the Spirit Phone Model SP-1. At nearly the same time, a cocksure young mage named Aleister Crowley inexplicably teleports into the home of Edison’s archrival, renowned inventor Nikola Tesla. As insanity and suicide multiply among spirit phone users, Crowley and Tesla combine their respective skills in “magick” and technology to investigate the device’s actual origin and ultimate purpose. Embarking upon an adventure of astral travel, demonic invocations, and high-speed airship journeys, they are soon embroiled in a desperate race to stop the spirit phone's use by an unknown adversary to inaugurate a hell on earth from which none shall escape.

Beloved, best-selling science writer Mary Roach’s “acutely entertaining, morbidly fascinating” (Susan Adams, Forbes) classic, now with a new epilogue. For two thousand years, cadavers – some willingly, some unwittingly – have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They’ve tested France’s first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender confirmation surgery, cadavers have helped make history in their quiet way. “Delightful—though never disrespectful” (Les Simpson, Time Out New York), Stiff investigates the strange lives of our bodies postmortem and answers the question: What should we do after we die? “This quirky, funny read offers perspective and insight about life, death and the medical profession. . . . You can close this book with an appreciation of the miracle that the human body really is.” —Tara Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal “Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting.” —Entertainment Weekly

Gain insight into the unique thinking and philosophy of the world’s most prolific inventor with this collection of his writings. American scientist and businessman Thomas Edison contributed much to the well-being and comfort of our modern life. He gave us the electric light, the phonograph, and the motion-picture camera, along with more than one thousand other inventions. Edison was, as fellow inventor Guglielmo Marconi put it, “one of the world’s greatest benefactors.” In this volume, editor Dagobert D. Runes presents Edison’s diary along with a selection of his social and philosophical ideas taken from available notes, statements, and observations. Readers will discover that many of Edison’s casual remarks made decades ago have a definite contemporary significance. His propositions in ethics, philosophy, music, and education show a rare combination of whimsy and deep sincerity.