Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla : Biography of a Genius

Marc J. Seifer

Citadel Press, 1996 - Biography & Autobiography - 542 pages

"[Wizard] brings the many complex facets of [Tesla's] personal and technical life together in to a cohesive whole. . .. I highly recommend this biography of a great technologist." --A.A. Mullin, U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, COMPUTING REVIEWS

"[Along with A Beautiful Mind] one of the five best biographies written on the brilliantly disturbed." --WALL STREET JOURNAL

"Wizard is a compelling tale presenting a teeming, vivid world of science, technology, culture and human lives." --NEW SCIENTIST

"Marc Seifer is an excellent writer and scholar, who has produced a wonderfully readable and illuminating biography of one of the most intriguing men of this century. . . mak[ing] us understand not only the man, but also the times in which he lived. . . . [A] masterpiece." --NELSON DEMILLE

"The author presents much new material. . . [and] bases his book on a large number of archival and primary sources. . .. Underneath the layers of hero worship, the core of Seifer's book is a serious piece of scholarship." --Ronald Kline, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

"Seifer has done a remarkable job going through all the Tesla manuscripts. . . ferret[ing] out hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles in which he traces out Tesla's public image [and] offers a reasonable reconstruction of Tesla's emotional world. . . . Seifer has significantly advanced our understanding of Tesla." --Bernard Carlson, author of Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age, for ISIS

"It is my opinion that Dr. Seifer leads the world as the most authoritative of all the Tesla researchers." --J.W. McGINNIS, President, International Tesla Society

"Far and away the best job among Tesla biographies." --Jeffrey D. Kooistra, INFINITE ENERGY

"Wizard is . . . utterly absorbing with chapters charting all stages of Tesla's life. . .. Seifer treats his prodigious subject with sympathy and realism." --NEXUS

"Wizard. . . presents a much more accurate. . . picture of Tesla. . .. [It] is thorough, informative, entertaining and a valuable addition to electrotechnological history, past and future." --ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING TIMES

"In modern times, Tesla may be enjoying a comeback thanks to books like Wizard." --THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Here is a deep and comprehensive biography of a great engineer of early electrical science. Indeed, it is likely to become the definitive biography of the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. . . .. Highly recommended." --AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE

Contents

• Heritage: 1
• Childhood 185674: 5
• College Years 187582: 15
• Tesla Meets the Wizard of Menlo Park 188285: 27
• Liberty Street 188688: 40
• Induction at Pittsburgh 1889: 51
• Bogus Inventors 188990: 61
• South Fifth Avenue 189091: 66
• Revising the Past 1891: 73
• The Royal Society 1892: 83
• Father of the Wireless 1893: 98
• Electric Sorcerer 1893: 110
• The Filipovs 1894: 122
• Niagara Power 1894: 132
• Effulgent Glory 1894: 138
• Fire at the Lab 1895: 146
• Martian Fever 189596: 152
• High Society 189497: 158
• Shadowgraphs 1896: 167
• Falls Speech 1897: 171
• Luminaries 189698: 178
• Socerers Apprentice 189697: 182
• Vril Power 1898: 193
• WaldorfAstoria 1898: 204
• Colorado Springs 1899: 214
• Contact 1899: 220
• Thors Emissary 1899: 230
• The Heros Return 1900: 236
• The House of Morgan 1901: 245
• World Telegraphy Center 1901: 256
• Clash of the Titans 1901: 266
• The Passing of the Torch 1902: 275
• Wardenclyffe 19021903: 283
• The Web 19031904: 293
• Dissolution 19041906: 307
• The Child of His Dreams 19071908: 324
• Bladeless Turbines 190910: 336
• The Hammond Connection 190913: 343
• J P Morgan Jr 191214: 357
• Fifth Column 191416: 368
• The Invisible Audience 191521: 378
• Transmutation 191821: 395
• The Roaring Twenties 191827: 404
• Faster Than the Speed of Light 192740: 416
• Living on Credit 192540: 428
• Loose Ends 193143: 436
• The FBI and the Tesla Papers 194356: 446
• The Wizards Legacy: 463
• The Magnifying Transmitter A Technical Discussion: 471
• The Tunguska Incident: 476
• Bibliography: 477
• Notes: 487
• Acknowledgments: 532
• Index: 534

Bibliographic information

• Title: Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla : Biography of a Genius
• Author: Marc J. Seifer
• Edition: illustrated, reprint, revised
• Publisher: Citadel Press, 1996
• ISBN: 0806519606, 9780806519609
• Length: 542 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / General; Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology