Status
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
In Tesla: Man Out of Time, Margaret Cheney explores the brilliant and prescient mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest scientists and inventors. Called a madman by his enemies, a genius by others, and an enigma by nearly everyone, Nikola Tesla was, without a doubt, a trailblazing inventor who created astonishing, sometimes world-transforming devices that were virtually without theoretical precedent. Tesla not only discovered the rotating magnetic field -- the basis of most alternating-current machinery -- but also introduced us to the fundamentals of robotics, computers, and missile science. Almost supernaturally gifted, unfailingly flamboyant and neurotic, Tesla was troubled by an array of compulsions and phobias and was fond of extravagant, visionary experimentations. He was also a popular man-about-town, admired by men as diverse as Mark Twain and George Westinghouse, and adored by scores of society beauties. From Tesla's childhood in Yugoslavia to his death in New York in the 1940s, Cheney paints a compelling human portrait and chronicles a lifetime of discoveries that radically altered -- and continue to alter -- the world in which we live. Tesla: Man Out of Time is an in-depth look at the seminal accomplishments of a scientific wizard and a thoughtful examination of the obsessions and eccentricities of the man behind the science.… (more)
User reviews
There is a funny little bit in here with a prank he pulled on Mark Twain when he was over for a visit.
★ ★ ★
Tesla was a great inventor and great contributor to modern technology. Yet, he has often been forgotten and slipped through the cracks until the last couple decade. And if you're looking for a biography on this great (yet slightly neurotic and
I rated this book 3 stars but felt it deserved more. My lack of more stars is more due to me than the book. I read most this book in a haze. I tried to read it mostly when evacuated and for obvious reasons my brain just didn't comprehend it. There is some technical jargon that is explained for even those with no experience in the world of science but my poor brain was elsewhere. And unfortunately for that reason the poor book suffers because of my inability to concentrate. But regardless, this IS a good book and a lot of good information. Just remember when reading this book that it was written in the 1980s'. So “technology of today and the future” aren't so today and future like. Definitely a must read for fans of Tesla and his work or for those that don't even know who he is!
PS. Just by chance I finished this book on Tesla's 156th Birthday. This made me happy and was fitting.