Edison the Nut

On my recent trip to California, I took along some books (as always). And the first book I completed in-route was Randall Stross's 250 page biography of Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park.

I have always been fascinated by Edison . . . even the myth of the man, but after reading Stross's excellently-researched biography, I have to conclude that Edison was both a genius and a fruitcake. But then, what genius isn't a bit fruity?

One of the things I found fascinating was that Edison would frequently work 48 hours, even 72 hours straight, without break for food, rest or water when he was "in the inventing groove". This was not an uncommon week for Edison, and he was intent on creating new things, or finding improvements for standard inventions. But he often ignored the inventions that would have netted him huge profits, and continued to pine after odd inventions that had no chance of turning into anything substantive. Hence, a fruitcake. That, or Edison was stubborn as a mule. Probably both.

Now, I'm no Edison, but I have worked my fair share of 24 hour days (all-nighters) and I've even written two or three books in their entirety in a 24-hour period. But what human being can endure a 48 hour or 72 hour day without going batty from exhaustion? Or, after 20 hours, who wouldn't want to eat some black licorice while enjoying a coal black cup of coffee?

I liked this book, and have shelved it in my biography section, which has just about consumed an entire wall of my home now. I like reading about people. After all, there's always another nut out there trying to make a buck off a book.