"A crackerjack account of the race for
electrification."
"Jill Jonnes's Empires of Light is
the captivating - no, let's say electrifying - saga of the War of the
Electric Currents fought at the close of the nineteenth century with typical
Gilded Age excess by Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse.
From the electrification of J. P. Morgan's New York mansion to
Westinghouse's subjugation of Niagara Falls, Jonnes explains in human terms
how alternating current achieved dominance over direct current, a victory of
incalculable importance in the history of the world - and she tells the
story with great, at times even macabre, verve, as in her account of the
invention of the electric chair and its horrifying first use. Along the way,
she solves numerous little mysteries of electric power, among them why
Broadway became nicknamed 'The Great White Way.'"
"Empires of Light is a fascinating
and vivid portrait of a tumultuous era. In a fast-paced narrative, Jill
Jonnes re-creates the personalities, technologies, and corporate intrigues
that changed America by - literally - electrifying the nation."
"Jonnes serves up plenty of color in an
engaging and relaxed style."
"Thoughtful and well paced." |