Tesla

Tesla by W. Bernard Carlson explores the life and legacy of Nikola Tesla, a pivotal figure in the electrical revolution at the turn of the twentieth century. Tesla's groundbreaking inventions, patents, and theoretical work laid the foundation for modern AC electricity and significantly contributed to the development of radio and television.

Like his competitor Thomas Edison, Tesla was among America's first celebrity scientists. He mingled with New York's high society, dazzling figures such as Mark Twain with his electrifying demonstrations. As a master self-promoter and showman, Tesla crafted a public persona of an eccentric genius. Even in his later years, living in poverty, he captivated reporters with his annual birthday interviews, where he claimed to have invented a particle-beam weapon capable of downing enemy aircraft.

While numerous biographies have emphasised Tesla's glamour and eccentricities, Tesla by Carlson offers a unique perspective, meticulously examining what, how, and why Tesla invented. This groundbreaking biography demystifies the legendary inventor, situating him within his cultural and technological milieu and focusing on his inventions as well as the creation and sustenance of his celebrity.

Drawing from original documents from both Tesla's private and public life, Carlson portrays Tesla as an "idealist" inventor. Tesla pursued the perfect experimental realisation of grand ideas and principles while artfully marketing his inventions to the public through mythmaking and illusion.

This comprehensive biography sheds new light on Tesla's visionary approach to invention and the business strategies that underpinned his most significant technological breakthroughs.