The definitive biography of the century's godfather of invention-from the preeminent Edison scholar "Israel's meticulous research and refusal to shy away from the dodgier aspects of Edison's personality offers a fresh glimpse into the life of the inventor."-New Scientist "Remarkable."-Nature "An authoritative look into Edison's working methods, here leavened by enough personal detail to give the achievements shape."-Publishers Weekly "Highly recommended." "Israel's book should go a long way toward taking Edison out of the shadows and placing him in the proper light."-Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Exhaustively researched, with strong emphasis on Edison's methods and achievements."-Kirkus Reviews The conventional story of Thomas Edison reads more like myth than history: With only three months of formal education, a hardworking young man overcomes the odds and becomes one of the greatest inventors in history. But the portrait that emerges from Edison: A Life of Invention reveals a man of genius and astonishing foresight whose career was actually a product of his fast-changing era. In this peerless biography, Paul Israel exposes for the first time the man behind the inventions, expertly situating his subject within a thoroughly realized portrait of a burgeoning country on the brink of massive change. Informed by Israel's unprecedented access to workshop diaries, notebooks, letters, and more than five million pages of archives, this definitive biography brings fresh insights to a singularly influential and triumphant career in science.

PAUL ISRAEL is the Managing Editor of the multivolume documentary edition of the Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University and the coauthor of Edison's Electric Light. He lives in Highland Park, New Jersey. 02 Wiley Imprint Code List JW Wiley John Wiley & Sons 19980828 1998 01 000 01 241.0 mm 02 162.5 mm 03 44.1 mm 08 34.96 oz John Wiley & Sons MD 10 18 01 DT 50.00 0471529869 03 0471529869 BC Ultrastructure Processing of Advanced Materials 1 B01 Donald R. Uhlmann Uhlmann, Donald R. Donald R. Uhlmann 2 B01 Donald R. Ulrich Ulrich, Donald R. Donald R. Ulrich eng 752 TEC009010 2.3 01 Look here for the latest developments in the glass, ceramic and composite engineering field that have yielded the best material with better physical properties, longer life and lower costs. Included are processing techniques which must be understood to assure proper production results, including new developments in the chemistry and preproduction processing methods, advances in sol-gel manufacturing and optical properties, and recent breakthroughs in composite materials. All data presented has been developed within the past two years. 04 02 Partial table of contents: <p> PRECURSORS, CHEMISTRY, AND STRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN ULTRASTRUCTURE PROCESSING. <p> Chemistry and Reactions of Metal Alkoxides (D. Bradley). <p> Molecular-Level Understanding of the Sol-Gel Process (J. Jonas). <p> PROCESSING. <p> Ultrastructure Processing of Shaped Ceramic Bodies from Liquids (J. Mackenzie). <p> Physics of Drying (G. Scherer). <p> POWDERS, FILMS, AND MONOLITHS. <p> Preparation of Narrow-Site-Distribution Borosilicate Powders by Alkoxide Hydrolysis (L. Janavicius, <I>et al.</I>). <p> Effects of Ultrastructure on Elastic and Thermal Properties of Glass (N. Soga). <p> COMPOSITES INCLUDING ORGANIC-MODIFIED CERAMICS. <p> Conventional and Molecular Composites--Past, Present, and Future (W. Adams & S. Kumar). <p> Mechanical Behavior of (Poly)methylmethacrylate-Impregnated Silica Gels (B. Abramoff & L. Klein). <p> OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL APPLICATIONS. <p> Gradient-Index Materials by the Sol-Gel Process (M. Yamane). <p> Optical Properties of Artificially Structured Metals (C. Falco, <I>et al.</I>). <p> ORGANOMETALLIC PRECURSORS-- POLYMERS AND AEROGELS. <p> Preparation of Aluminum Nitride Fibers (J. Bolt). <p> Aerogels and Xerogels from Organic Precursors (R. Pekala). <p> Index.