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Called a madman by some, a genius by others, and an enigma by nearly everyone, Nikola Tesla created astonishing, world-transforming devises that were virtually without theoretical precedent. Tesla not only discovered the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating current machinery, but also introduced the fundamentals of robotry, computers, and missile science and helped pave the way for such technologies as satellites, microwaves, beam weapons, and nuclear fusion.

Almost supernaturally gifted, Tesla was also unusually erratic, flamboyant, and neurotic. He was J. P. Morgan's client, counted Mark Twain as a friend, and considered Thomas Edison an enemy. But above all, he was the hero and mentor to many of the last century's most famous scientists.

In a meticulously researched, engagingly written biography, Margaret Cheney presents the many different dimensions of this extraordinary man, capturing his human qualities and quirks as she chronicles a lifetime of discoveries that continue to alter our world. [via]