The popular image of Alexander Graham Bell is that of an elderly American patriarch, memorable only for his paunch, his Santa Claus beard, and the invention of the telephone. In this magisterial reassessment based on thorough new research, acclaimed biographer Charlotte Gray reveals Bell's wide-ranging passion for invention and delves into the private life that supported his genius. The child of a speech therapist and a deaf mother, and possessed of superbly acute hearing, Bell developed an early interest in sound. His understanding of how sound waves might relate to electrical waves enabled him to invent the "talking telegraph" be- fore his rivals, even as he undertook a tempestuous courtship of the woman who would become his wife and mainstay. In an intensely competitive age, Bell seemed to shun fame and fortune. Yet many of his innovations—electric heating, using light to transmit sound, electronic mail, composting toilets, the artificial lung—were far ahead of their time. His pioneering ideas about sound, flight, genetics, and even the engineering of complex structures such as stadium roofs still resonate today. This is an essential portrait of an American giant whose innovations revolutionized the modern world.
- 480 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title
- Copyright
- CONTENTS
- Dedication
- PART I CIRCUITS AND CONNECTIONS 1847-1876
- Chapter 1:The Great White Plague 1847-1870
- Chapter 2:The Backwoods of Canada 1870
- Chapter 3:Boston Bound 1871-1874
- Chapter 4: A Brahmin Childhood 1857-1873
- Chapter 5: Good Vibrations 1873-1875
- Chapter 6:The Fateful “Twang” 1875
- Chapter 7: Nantucket Passion 1875
- Chapter 8: Patent No. 174,465 1875-1876
- PART 2 THE STRUGGLE FOR BALANCE 1876-1889
- Chapter 9: Ring for the Future 1876-1877
- Chapter 10: London Life 1877-1878
- Chapter 11: Litigation Battles 1878-1880
- Chapter 12: Sad Losses, Failed Hopes 1880-1885
- Chapter 13: Atlantic Adventures 1885-1887
- Chapter 14: A Shifting Balance 1887-1889
- Chapter 15: Helen Keller and the Politics of Deafness 1886-1896
- PART 3 MONSTER KITES AND FLYING MACHINES 1889-1923
- Chapter 16: Escape to Cape Breton 1889-1895
- Chapter 17: Monster Kites 1895-1900
- Chapter 18: Family Remains 1900-1906
- Chapter 19: Bells Boys 1906-1909
- Chapter 20: The Auld Chief 1909-1915
- Chapter 21: The Last Hurrah 1915-1923
- Epilogue: The Legacies of Alexander Graham Bell
- Appendix: Patents Issued by the U.S. Patent Office to Alexander Graham Bell and His Associates
- Sources
- Photo Sources
- Acknowledgments
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Yes, you can access Reluctant Genius by Charlotte Gray in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Technology & Engineering & Historical Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.