Tesla

Inventor of the Electrical Age

By: W. Bernard Carlson

Narrated by: Allan Robertson

Nikola Tesla was a major contributor to the electrical revolution that transformed daily life at the turn of the 20th 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.

©2013 Princeton University Press (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Tesla Needed A Manager

What made the experience of listening to Tesla the most enjoyable?

The style of writing was easy to follow (not as detailed as Israel ' s book on Edison) and the presentation was easy to listen to and enjoyable.

What other book might you compare Tesla to and why?

Israel ' s book on Edison. Carlson focused more on what Tesla was like as a person; explaining that his pursuit of allusion was his downfall. If Charles Peck hadn't died in 1890 the Tesla story might have been a lot different. He had a sense of the market and seemed to be able to get Tesla focused and keep him focused until he had a commercially viable product.
Edison on the other hand was a virtual engineering machine. The two men were quite different. Israel seemed to struggle with covering all of Edison ' s work; so much so that you don't get inside the man as much as Carlson ' s presentation of Tesla. I think I would like to read a biography of Edison written by Carlson.
I have yet to read Jill Jones book "Empires of Light". Maybe she provides the comparison that I am looking for.

Have you listened to any of Allan Robertson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Tesla: What happened? The Shocking Truth!

Any additional comments?

I definitely recommend this book. Carlson does a great job explaining the people who invent and what brings them success and failure.

Brilliant mind

The true master of electricity. Genius inventor of most electrical applications and products used today. A genius who put people first.

great listen for me.

I am loving this book. I can't wait to give it another listen. Very technical but still very interesting.

Illuminating in a wireless way

I think this has to be the best books about Tesla. This is really a very, very complex subject because so much modern life that we recognize was forming during this time. International travel, mechanized devices - especially ships and trains and early cars, refrigeration, all need alternating current in some form to work. In retrospect, Tesla needed a much more modern manager to help him then existed... and maybe JP Morgan needed a better science adviser. Tesla (in this book) comes across like a typical university research fellow when he probably wasn’t. but this was so long ago. I think as the author seems to say, that Tesla later in life, has mental health issues. I think it’s a shame that Westinghouse (company) doesn’t come to terms with him much earlier in his life. It’s possible that Marconi legal problems might have been handled better that way. Morgan probably could have “forced” Westinghouse to deal with Tesla instead of getting into that wardenclyffe stuff but hindsight always makes things look easy. Anyway, great book in audio format since, for me, the language of Tesla’s era is easier to make sense of when heard rather than read.

Too Long and Too Technical

Nichola Tesla was a great inventor and largely responsible for our AC power grid, rather than Edison's DC power. However, this book is overly long and too technical. If you don't have an engineering degree and don't want to dwell on Tesla's fantastic ideas and lack of business acumen, this isn't for you. The narration is excellent but the book would have been twice as good if it were half as long.