The Journals of Thomas Edison
In 1931, soon after his death, friends of Thomas Edison found the great man’s journals. The inventor and businessman, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest thinkers who ever lived, was a prolific journal keeper. Indeed, in all, he filled some 3,500 notebooks, all of them only discovered after his demise. The pages of these notebooks are filled with his inventions, offering a fascinating insight into his creative process. But what’s more, they also offer a unique insight into the man behind inventions such as the lightbulb and the motion picture camera. For that reason, his diaries and journals make for essential reading.
During his 84 years, Edison held more than 1,090 patents. He worked up to 20 hours a day, sometimes even staying awake working for three days straight and was famed for his ability to find creative solutions to a wide range of problems. According to some of the Edison’s biographers, his journaling habits were key to his success as an inventor. Not only did he keep track of his research and progress, he also used the pages to write ‘to do lists’ and to keep himself motivated and on track.
However, Edison’s diaries are more than just the notebooks of a genius inventor. The great man also kept personal diaries. Here, we are able to get an insight into his life away from the workshop, including his everyday routines and his private thoughts on a wide range of subjects, from literature to monetary reform. In one intriguing entry, he recalled a trip to New York City to buy books, revealing his indecisiveness. The entry of 13 July 1885 states: “Went into Scribner & Sons on way up, saw about a thousand books I wanted right off. Mind No 1 said why not buy a box full and send to Boston now. Mind No 2 (acquired and worldly mind) gave a most withering mental glance at mind No 1 and said You fool, buy only two books, these you can carry without trouble and will last until you get to Boston. Buying books in N ewYork to send to Boston is like “carrying coals to Newcastle.” Of course, I took the advice of this earthly adviser.”
Ever since his death, inventors, scientists, academics and even business leaders and politicians have pored over Edison’s diaries in an attempt to find the secret of his genius. But, far from revealing a secret formula, the diaries largely confirm what Edison had always maintained: hard work, long hours and single-mindedness were the reason for his success – along with a little natural talent, of course.