Edison & the Electric Chair: A Story of Light and Death

Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Walker & Company, 2004. 1st Edition . Hardcover. As New/As New. Like New, May Have Minor Shelf Wear To Dust Jacket. - For More Information On Condition. Please See All Photos. Thomas Edison Stunned America In 1879 By Unveiling A World-Changing Invention - The Lightbulb. A Decade Later, Despite His Lifelong Opposition To The Death Penalty, Edison Threw His Laboratory Resources And Reputation Behind The Creation Of A Very Different Device - The Electric Chair. Edison Championed The Electric Chair For Reasons That Remain Controversial. In The Mid-1880S, As He Wired Manhattan And Other Cities With His Direct-Current Lines, His Rival, George Westinghouse, Was Undercutting His Business With A Less Expensive Alternating Current System. The Battle For Electrical Dominance Raged Just As New York'S Legislators Were Seeking A More Humane Alternative To The Gallows. Called On For His Expertise, Edison Helped Persuade State Officials To Reject The Guillotine And Lethal Injection In Favour Of Electricity. But There Was A Catch: Edison Insisted That His Own Direct Current Was Perfectly Safe - Only Westinghouse'S Alternating Current Could Cause Certain Death. Was Edison Concerned About The Suffering Of The Condemned? Or Was He Waging A Campaign To Smear Alternating Current And Boost His Own System? Deftly Exploring This Chapter In American History, Mark Essig Delivers A Vivid Portrait Of A Nation On The Cusp Of Modernity And A New Examination Of Edison Himself.

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