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Lightning Man: The Accursed Life of Samuel F. B. Morse, by Kenneth Silverman
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In this brilliantly conceived and written biography, Pulitzer Prize–winning Kenneth Silverman gives us the long and amazing life of the man eulogized by the New York Herald in 1872 as “perhaps the most illustrious American of his age.”
Silverman presents Samuel Morse in all his complexity. There is the gifted and prolific painter (more than three hundred portraits and larger historical canvases) and pioneer photographer, who gave the first lectures on art in America, became the first Professor of Fine Arts at an American college (New York University), and founded the National Academy of Design. There is the republican idealist, prominent in antebellum politics, who ran for Congress and for mayor of New York. But most important, there is the inventor of the American electromagnetic telegraph, which earned Morse the name Lightning Man and brought him the fame he sought.
In these pages, we witness the evolution of the great invention from its inception as an idea to its introduction to the world—an event that astonished Morse’s contemporaries and was considered the supreme expression of the country’s inventive genius. We see how it transformed commerce, journalism, transportation, military affairs, diplomacy, and the very shape of daily life, ushering in the modern era of communication.
But we discover as well that Morse viewed his existence as accursed rather than illustrious, his every achievement seeming to end in loss and defeat: his most ambitious canvases went unsold; his beloved republic imploded into civil war, making it unlivable for him; and the commercial success of the telegraph engulfed him in lawsuits challenging the originality and ownership of his invention.
Lightning Man is the first biography of Samuel F. B. Morse in sixty years. It is a revelation of the life of a fascinating and profoundly troubled American genius.
- Sales Rank: #1106784 in Books
- Published on: 2003-10-21
- Released on: 2003-10-21
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.57" h x 1.72" w x 6.72" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 512 pages
From Publishers Weekly
The New York Herald may have eulogized the inventor of the telegraph in 1872 as "perhaps the most illustrious American of his age," but Samuel Morse may have concluded otherwise: he thought his life a failure. Hence the subtitle of this painstakingly researched, gracefully and soberly told life. Silverman, who won the Pulitzer and Bancroft prizes for his 1984 biography of Cotton Mather, presents us with a fool's progress of sorts. Morse seems to have fallen into inventing by way of a mediocre painting career. He was a disappointment to his pious Protestant parents, who envisioned a respectable career for their son but got a dreamer instead. By the age of 41, Morse was still dreaming of a commission from Congress to be hung in the Capitol dome and still undecided as to his calling in life. He dabbled in inventing, considered a career as a minister, became an art teacher at New York University, ran unsuccessful candidacies for mayor and for Congress on anti-immigration platforms and wrote screeds against Catholic conspiracies to undermine the American republic. He dabbled in a new technology, photography, and of course, promoted his electromagnetic telegraph, battling domestic and foreign competitors and, after finally achieving commercial success, a tide of lawsuits. Silverman's vivid portrait is of a naive, restless man who stays a dreamer all his life and dies disappointed. The author writes in a narrative style as staid and temperate as the Protestant bourgeoisie he writes about. This should appeal as both history of science and stolid biography. 49 photos and illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Silverman has proved himself a masterful biographer in his books on Cotton Mather and Edgar Allan Poe and continues the tradition with this biography of the putative inventor of the electric telegraph. Silverman homes in on Morse's sui generis claim that he produced the telegraph on his own in 1832. This assertion was disputed by a gallery of litigious sharpers thirsting for wealth from telegraphy. It is also a question that Silverman sensibly consigns to the category of the insoluble. Indeed Silverman's great talent lies in the way he refrains from expostulating directly, allowing Morse's habits and actions to speak through his own words. Even the author's use of the acidic adjective accursed in his subtitle leaves readers unsure about whether bad luck or odium is implied. Morse's letters to his children, whom he dumped on relatives, indicate he neglected them to pursue his lifelong dream to become a painter. On the other hand, Silverman portrays Morse as easily depressed, vexed by the business disputes to which his artistic, pious, and overly trusting nature was ill suited. Set in his times, the man in full arises in Silverman's exemplary biography. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“An exhilaratingly vivid, historically balanced biography of Samuel F. B. Morse . . . Silverman’s well-paced, character-driven storytelling brings Morse’s raw, emotional persona to life.”
–James A. Buczynski, Library Journal
“Superb . . . Its thorough research, measured scholarship, and wonderful prose serve to illuminate brilliantly the Lightning Man’s eight decades of struggle, inner turmoil and genius. It is not easy to depict–sympathetically yet realistically–so flawed and complex a character. And yet Mr. Silverman has.
–Edward J. Renehan, Jr., The Wall Street Journal
“Now told brilliantly by Silverman . . . a life of great scope, with heroic heights and tragic lows.”
–Henry Petroski, Los Angeles Times
“[A] vivid portrait . . . Painstakingly researched, gracefully and soberly told.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A superbly rendered life of the painter, sculptor, and photographer best known as the inventor of the electromagnetic telegraph . . . A first-rate, well-balanced blend of personal and cultural history.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Silverman has proved himself a masterful biographer . . . [His] great talent lies in the way he refrains from expostulating directly, allowing Morse’s habits and actions to speak through his own words. . . Set in his times, the man in full arises in Silverman’s exemplary biography.”
–Gilbert Taylor, Booklist (starred and boxed review)
Most helpful customer reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
More relevant for the inventor today than you can imagine
By Deborah C. Taylor
I picked up this book on a whim, and found myself agog at Morse's veritable precognition about the telecommunication industry. I was quite unable to put the book down. This man may be long dead, but his ideas about leasing the right to use his telegraph, rather than opting to sell telegraph devices one-by-one, was a brilliant marketing decision on a par with today's great master's of business. The book is well-written and full of surprises, including what business decisions NOT to make. This is a great read for anyone who a)is in marketing; b) is in telecommunication; or c)mistrusts the Patent Office!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent bio of telegraph inventor
By Joel M. Kauffman
Basically I agree with the reviews of Deborah Taylor, Charles De Fanti, Jr. and Matthew Wall. I had no idea that Morse was an accomplished painter and introduced daguerreotype photography to the USA and taught Matthew Brady. Thanks to Hollywood, I had no idea that one of the best features of the Morse telegraph system was automatic recording of the dot and dash signals, so no operator had to be present when they arrived. Or that he was involved with the trans-Atlantic cables. Or that he finally threw himself on the mercy of European governments in which the Morse telegraph system was being used and asked for an indemnity, one-time, saying he would be satisfied with whatever it was ($2 million in today's money).
We were never exposed to Morse's pro-slavery bible-based views, or his campaign support for General George McClellan in 1864 against Lincoln. The idea that English abolitionists were planted or encouraged to go to the USA to weaken us was there.
Silverman has provided a good index and astounding documentation of sources. Those of you who have looked at my other reviews and seen lists of errors will be impressed that I did not find a single one in this wonderfully readable book. My only wish is that there were a few more details of the telegraph devices. And why no table of the Morse code? No matter: this is one of the best books I have ever read on any topic.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Thorough and surprising
By Bas Vodde
"Lightning Man" is the 400+ page biography of Samuel F.B. Morse his surprising life. I've got an interest in telecommunication, computing and history thus ended up reading this book which contains elements of all. Yet, quickly I found myself surprised by what I was reading as I didn't know the eventful, controversial, and diverse life that Morse had.
The book contains 18 chapters (plus a coda) and consist of a near 450 fairly dense pages. It took a while to get through it for me yet not a moment I doubt whether I should continue. The book starts with the birth of Morse and quickly goes through its childhood and spends a fair amount of time to Morse his early life as a painter (!). From there it describes Morse's many sidetracks in politics and then the sudden invention of the telegraph (which I felt the author keeps a bit vague... on purpose). Morse spend many years perfecting and fighting to promote the telegraph and every step where he had a success, it was immediately followed by a challenge. The biggest challenge he had seemed to be by people challenging whether he actually was the invention of the telegraph and suing him for his patent. The book is full of court cases and patent trouble. Later in the book, it is clear that the invention of the telegraph was a major invention and permanently changed the life of many people. Though, he was wildly recognized as the inventor and did well financially also, he was still constantly fighting off challenges and seemed to suspect everyone he ever worked with. At times, it makes you wonder if Morse had just an enormous amount of bad luck (as the book subtitle suggests) or whether he was actually a very difficult person to deal with himself (and it is probably a bit of both). Later chapters focus on his support for lying the transatlantic cables, the growth of his telecom companies, and his now very controversial political views.
For me, the book surprised me already very early on when it described Morse's life as a painter (and a fairly good one!). I hadn't expect that for someone who, I figured, was best known as an inventor and early technologist. After his invention of the telegraph, his life didn't seem to consist much of improving his engineering designs (though I'm sure he wanted to) as it consisted much more fighting patent wars. Similarly the side-tracks in politics surprised me much and his controversial political views colored his character a lot.
All in all, the book was well written and felt very well researched. It is very thorough, so thorough that at times I had difficulty remembering who was who or what event this referred too. I think I'd get a lot out of the book if I would read it for a second time. Yet, the book wasn't perfect either, its thoroughness made it dull at times. For that reason, as that is the only negative thing I can find in this interesting book, I'll go for a 4 out of 5 star review. Recommended for those interested in telecommunication and history, not for those who want to learn about how telegraphs work or who want quick-read story.
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