The initial idea for this story came about during a long conversation on a road trip through Pennsylvania with Helen and Dan Estabrook. I’m indebted to both for their enthusiasm as well as their safe driving.
All of my thoughts about the nature of invention and technological innovation were generated, explored, and honed during a thousand lunches and late-night chats with Avinash Karnani, Matt Wallaert, Samantha Culp, and my (little) brother Evan Moore.
While titling this book, I was fortunate enough to receive assistance (and commiseration) from Sam Wasson and Mary Laws.
Many thanks to the copyeditors who taught me more about English grammar than I ever learned in school: Dennis Ambrose, Benjamin Dreyer, Deb Dwyer, and Kathy Lord.
I’m immensely grateful to the legal historians Christopher Beauchamp, of Brooklyn Law School, and Adam Mossoff, of George Mason University, for each spending many thankless hours on the phone explaining the history of patent law to me. One couldn’t imagine better teachers; I find myself jealous of their very lucky law students. Any legal errors in this book are my fault alone.
I’m further indebted to the following experts, who were gracious enough to lend me their respective expertise in filling in the countless historical and scientific details contained in the narrative:
Christopher T. Baer at the Hagley Museum and Library John Balow and Madeleine Cohen at the New York Public Library Kurt Bell at the Pennsylvania State Archives, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Nathan Brewer and Robert Coburn at the IEEE History Center at Stevens Institute of Technology Mike Dowell at the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society Archives C. Allen Parker, Deborah Farone, and Diane O’Donnell at Cravath, Swaine & Moore Jennifer Fauxsmith at the Massachusetts Archives
Mark Horenstein, professor of applied electromagnetics at Boston University Paul Israel, director and general editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers, Rutgers University Deborah May at the Nashville Library
John Pennino at the Metropolitan Opera
Henry Scannell at the Boston Public Library
Nicholas Zmijewski at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
And finally, thank you to my family, for letting me do this with my life.