Photonic Empire

Author: (USA) Jill Jones
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book provides a detailed description and high-level summary of three pioneers who created, produced, and delivered electricity. Without these three great inventors, the world would not be what we know today. —Henry Petroski, author of The Evolution of Useful Things
This is an outstanding book that describes the competition in electrification. —San Francisco Chronicle
Jill Jones's Empire of Light is an engaging—no, electrifying—narrative that describes the current war between Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse during the golden age of the late 19th century in America. From lighting Morgan's mansion to Westinghouse's conquest of Niagara Falls, Jones describes in a humanizing way how alternating current (AC) defeated direct current (DC), a victory of immeasurable historical significance in the world. When describing the electric chair and the terrifying scenes of its use, she paints such a vivid picture that it feels like being there, chillingly realistic. Her descriptions unlock countless secrets of electricity, such as why Broadway is also called the "White Way." —Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City
Empire of Light is deeply moving and vividly portrays the turbulent and chaotic era. In a fast-paced and concise narrative, Jill Jones reinterprets personalities, technology, and even conspiracies—all of which were truly transformed America through national electrification. —Lauren Belfer, author of City of Light
Jones's focused yet effortless writing style makes the book exceptionally outstanding. —Publishers Weekly
Thoughtful and elegant in its flow. —Kirkus Reviews
In the decade after the 19th century, these three extraordinary, imaginative American titans of the golden age were fiercely competing to create a vast electric empire. In this book, historian Jill Jones describes this extraordinary "trio" and their compelling yet ruthless world of cutting-edge technology—stories of invention, conspiracy, money, death, and the greedy millionaires of Wall Street. Edison, through relentless effort, introduced his direct current (DC) technology to the bustling streets of New York, while Tesla and Westinghouse countered with their alternating current (AC) technology, sparking a unique confrontation in the history of American corporations—the battle of currents. The battlefield ranged from Wall Street to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and Niagara Falls, and even into the grim prison cells—Jill Jones takes us into the eerie prison room where William Kemmler, the condemned murderer, became the first person executed by the electric chair.
Empire of Light explains the "mysterious fluid" of electricity and how the life-and-death conflict between Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse fundamentally changed the world. It is a weighty, gripping historical account of electricity.