These waning years of the 19th century were Tesla's most prolific period the triumphant opening of the huge Niagara Falls polyphase hydroelectric plant in 1895 by itself would have secured his reputation, but he had long since moved into the dazzling field of 'high frequency' mechanical and electrical vibrations. 63 for a description.) Tesla's system made Edison's direct current system, itself inaugurated only in the early 1880's, almost obsolete by the turn of the century. He was still a public figure, however, and his fame was solidly rooted: at age 31, four years after his 1884 emigration from Europe to the United States, he had dramatically presented to the world his polyphase alternating current system - the electrical power system today employed worldwide. Nikola Tesla wrote the six magazine articles comprising My Inventions in 1919, when he was 63 years old and well past the peak of his career. This reflects the present editor's desire that Tesla's work be allowed to stand on its own, as it is eminently capable of doing. Only the promotional material with which the original editor introduced each of the six serial installments has been omitted altogether. Several of the original picture captions have been altered to improve accuracy or clarity. All of the original illustrations have been reproduced, and six new illustrations have been added. Tesla's idiosyncratic phonetic spellings have not been changed in this edition. Parts I through V of My Inventions were published in the Electrical Experimenter monthly magazine from February through June of 1919, with part VI following in October, 1919. Here, at last, readers can learn the truth about this amazing and misunderstood man of genius. In his own words Tesla retells the famous story of his Faustian quest for the electric motor the experts said could never be built - a quest that nearly cost him his sanity. Here he tells us how he willfully harnessed his visions to invention, yet never outgrew many of his childhood fears and compulsions. Here Tesla reveals in fascinating psychological detail how a photographic memory and a runaway imagination almost fatally cursed his childhood in Yugoslavia. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to penetrate the inventor's complex personality and mysterious life.

My Inventions is Tesla's autobiographical legacy.

Nikola Tesla was the reclusive, brilliant electrical engineer who: Invented the Niagara power system that made Edison's system obsolete - Sold Westinghouse forty patents that broke the General Electric monopoly - Discovered the radio methods that Marconi converted into a fortune - Built a radio-guided torpedo before Ford ended the horse-and-buggy era.

My inventions