Dopo gli studi universitari e la frequentazione della bohème del Greenwich Village, oppresso dal provincialismo del suo paese, Matthew Josephson fugge in Europa e inizia un lungo sodalizio con i surrealisti e le altre avanguardie. I «ruggenti anni Venti» a Parigi sono i veri protagonisti del libro: l'emigrazione letteraria nordamericana, la febbre dei fondatori di riviste, i dibattiti tra scrittori che diventano comizi, quella che Gertrude Stein battezza come la «generazione perduta». Camp...

Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was an American inventor and businessman who is often regarded as one of the most prolific inventors in history. Born in Milan, Ohio, Edison displayed an early interest in mechanics and chemistry. He began his career as a telegraph operator, which led him to experiment with electrical devices.Edison is best known for his inventions that had a profound impact on modern life, including the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, and the motion picture ...

A great folk hero in American history, Edison is viewed by the public as a facile inventor, the electrical wizard and the perfect symbol of the self-made and practical creator. But he was also a paradoxical figure: deaf, impoverished and with no formal education as a youngster, Edison nevertheless became a fertile and versatile inventor, accumulated fortunes for himself and others but remained indifferent to wealth except as a means towards more inventions.Edison’s key contribution...

"The best, the liveliest and most illuminating" account of Rockefeller, Morgan, and the other men who seized American economic power after the Civil War (The New Republic).John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, E. H. Harriman, Jay Gould, Henry Clay Frick . . . their names carry a powerful historical ring, still echoing today in the countless institutions that are part of their legacy, fro...

Al Smith (1873-1944) was born and grew up in New York’s Lower East Side slums and got his start in politics under Tammany Hall sponsorship. Frances Perkins was a New Englander, a trained social worker who became a public figure when Smith appointed her to the New York State Industrial Commission. They shared a concern for working people and a love for the Empire State, which Smith served as governor for four precedent-breaking terms between 1919 and 1928 after serving in the New York State...

Revised and updated, this long-awaited second edition provides a comprehensive introduction to what the most thoughtful Americans have said about the American experience from the colonial period to the present. The book examines the political thought of the most important American statesmen, activists, and writers across era and ideologies, helping another generation of students, scholars, and citizens to understand more fully the meaning of America.This new second edition of the b...

"The best, the liveliest and most illuminating" account of Rockefeller, Morgan, and the other men who seized American economic power after the Civil War ( The New Republic).John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, E. H. Harriman, Jay Gould, Henry Clay Frick . . . their names carry a powerful historical ring, still echoing today in the countless institutions that are part of their legacy, from universities to museums to bank...