Thomas Alva Edison
American inventor and businessman, 1847-1931
Edison developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. More significant than the number of Edison's patents was the widespread impact of his inventions: electric light and power utilities, sound recording, and motion pictures all established major new industries world-wide. Edison's inventions contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications.
Source: Wikipedia
American inventor (1847-1931). Typed letter signed ("Thos A. Edison"). No place. 16.01.1905. 4to. 3 pp.
$ 4,743 / 4.500 €
(33102/BN27887)
An agreement regarding battery production throughout the world. To Herman E. Dick, a founding director of the Edison Ore Milling Syndicate and by 1905, the foreign agent promoting Edison's battery in Europe. Edison informs Dick that as he has established battery production facilities in Germany, England, and France, as well as in America, the company should be able to meet demand throughout the world: "[...] I would undoubtedly be able to make more satisfactory terms for handling this business than any one else, and since you are largely interested in all of the three main foreign companies, you would of course benefit by any additional business that such companies might do in other countries outside of their own territories.
Therefore [...] I will be obliged if you will sign the subscribed consent, agreeing that all future negotiations for foreign countries shall be left entirely to me [...]". - Duly countersigned by Dick and a witness. Leaves creased and moderately toned; perforation at upper left corner of each leaf..
American inventor and businessman (1847-1931). Portrait postcard signed. No place. 135:85 mm.
$ 2,635 / 2.500 €
(73950/BN47886)
American inventor and businessman (1847-1931). Typed letter signed ("Thos A. Edison"). Orange (New Jersey). 19.05.1923. 4to. 1 p.
$ 3,689 / 3.500 €
(85881/BN56556)
To the French inventor and engineer Édouard Belin (1876-1933), confirming the receipt of a photograph: "I am writing to acknowledge the receipt of your photograph which you have kindly inscribed for me. It is a very good picture of you and I have had it framed and it is hanging in my Library at the Laboratory". - Édouard Belin met Edison at least once and apparently made a good impression. The first transatlantic phototelegraphic connection based on Belin's invention called Bélinographe had been established in 1921.
- On stationery with lithographed letterhead of the Edison laboratory: "From the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison, Orange N.J.". - Somewhat browned; several pinholes and traces of former mounting on verso..
American inventor and businessman (1847-1931). Autograph letter signed ("TaE"). No place. 8vo. 4 pp.
$ 26,348 / 25.000 €
(88883/BN58826)
To his second wife Mina Miller, here called "Billy", about a strenuous field trip to Ontario to explore nickel reserves, involving an honorary reception by the city of Sudbury: "John writes you today & I assume tells you all about the trip in the woods - as I do not know what he told you I will recite all the events after you left. After the boys came from the Laboratory we took a carriage and 6 of us went out on the upper Wanatapae [i. e. Wanapitei] road to the Credyman mine [...] The mine is about 10 or 12 miles NE from Sudbury.
It has been cleared & exposed so we had a good chance to see the whole of the surface and the amount of nickel ore exposed. We also took along our magnetic needles and made a rough survey of the mine [...] This gave us lots of information which will be good for future use [...] Right near the mine we came onto a typical Canadian Lumber Camp. There was 5 low log cabins and 3 log stables, the latter containing about 30 horses [...] The strangest thing was that they had a railroad, a narrow gauge with regular steel rail, Locomotives & logging cars [...] The Municipality of Sudbury gave me an address, which was read by the mayor [...] after it was over I asked several of the city fathers to come down stairs and have some lemonade, there were seven or eight and all took whisky instead of lemonade [...] We left Monday morning for Worthington [...] at this point we were to leave the Railroad & start south into the country which is very heavily wooded [...] we could only find swamp water which had the color of tea, this we boiled before drinking. We slept on the ground with a little hay upon which we laid our blankets. Towards morning it got very cold and a heavy fog settled down [...] we cooked breakfast & started out early for a lake to the south, the swamps, rocks, & fallen timber made progress very slow and very exhausting [...] I sprained my ankle slightly but the next morning it was ok. The guide preceded us and cut with an axe a bare spot on both sides of trees about 20 ft apart, we followed these spots very readily - it's called 'Blasing a trail'. We came to a pretty fine lake & made camp [...] The last 2 days I have been in camp, the boys have been out hunting corners & yesterday for the 1st time tried a survey with their needles. Today is Sunday & we keep it holy, tomorrow I am going out with the boys & try a new plan to surveying from Diorite to Huronian instead of surveyors posts which it's impossible to find [...]". - Small marginal tears..