Presents a comprehensive biography of inventor Thomas Alva Edison by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Edmund Morris that draws on millions of pages of original documents and family papers still held in trust. Describes Edison's life, his patent of nearly 1,100 inventions and founding of nearly 250 companies, his work as a futurist, chemist, botanist, and philosopher, and his legacy today. Also debunks myths of enmity between Edison and Nikola Tesla, and presents proof of their respectful relationship.