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Edmund Morris, author of Edison

Thomas Alva Edison’s invention of the first practical incandescent lamp 140 years ago so dazzled the world --- already reeling from his invention of the phonograph and dozens of other revolutionary devices --- that it cast a shadow over his later achievements. In all, this near-deaf genius patented 1,093 inventions --- not including others, such as the X-ray fluoroscope --- that he left unlicensed for the benefit of medicine. One of the achievements of this new biography, the first major life of Edison in more than 20 years, is that it portrays the unknown Edison --- the philosopher, the futurist, the chemist, the botanist, the wartime defense adviser, the founder of nearly 250 companies --- as fully as it deconstructs the Edison of mythological memory.

Week of November 2, 2020

Paperback releases for the week of November 2nd include OLIVE, AGAIN, in which Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imaginations of millions; EDISON by Edmund Morris, the first major life of Thomas Alva Edison in more than 20 years, which portrays the unknown Edison --- the philosopher, the futurist, the chemist, the botanist, the wartime defense adviser, the founder of nearly 250 companies --- as fully as it deconstructs the Edison of mythological memory; POSTSCRIPT, the long-awaited sequel to Cecelia Ahern's PS, I LOVE YOU, which follows Holly Kennedy as she helps strangers leave their own messages behind for loved ones; and WHEN TIME STOPPED, a remarkably moving memoir from Ariana Neumann, who dives into the secrets of her father’s past --- years spent hiding in plain sight in war-torn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew.