* Israel, Paul. ''Edison: A Life of Invention'' (2000), the standard scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/Edison-Life-Invention-Paul-Israel/dp/0471362700/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229892178&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search]
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===Primary sources===
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* Israel, Paul W., ed. ''The Papers of Thomas A. Edison,'' (6 vol
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** vol 2: ''From Workshop to Laboratory, June 1873-March 1876'' (1992)
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** vol 3: ''Menlo Park: The Early Years, April 1876-December 1877'' (1995)
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** vol 4: ''The Wizard of Menlo Park, 1878'' (1998), 996pp
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** vol 5: ''The Papers of Thomas A. Edison: Research to Development at Menlo Park, January 1879-March 1881'' (2004)
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** vol 6: '' Electrifying New York and Abroad, April 1881--March 1883'' (2007) 940pp