Spread the word! Use the social networking buttons at the bottom of this post and the two posts linked in the paragraph above. Talk about it with your friends, and your friends’ friends. Share it on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and wherever else you hang out. Tweet it, StumbleUpon it, Digg it, Tumble it, Reddit, and Pin it.
Buy the book! Okay, this is a given 🙂 You can order it online at barnesandnoble.com as a hardcover or an ebook for NOOK. It will also be available in Barnes and Noble stores in July. Where it will NOT be is on Amazon, at least for the moment. This initial roll out is exclusive to Barnes and Noble.
Write a review! Books live or die not only on whether they get bought, but whether people write reviews. Places to write reviews include:
Like my Facebook author page! ——- > David J. Kent This helps spread the word, plus you’ll get periodic updates on Tesla, Lincoln, and more. (If you haven’t already, click on my name next to the arrow)
Give the book as a gift! Christmas is coming. Yes, it is (remember, time flies). The book makes a great gift for that computer or science geek you never knew what to get. It also makes a great gift for invention buffs, graphic novel lovers, historical biography, and just plain interesting characters from history. Need more ideas? Read more here.
Ask for it at Barnes and Noble! Since the book is exclusive to Barnes and Noble, it should be prominently displayed near the store entrance. Be sure to drop by and ask for it if you don’t see it. If you do see it, “accidentally” turn the book face out so people can see the cover (not just the spine). 🙂
Pin it! The Barnes and Noble.com page for Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has buttons to pin it to your Pinterest page. And Like it on Facebook. And Google+ it. All of that helps get the word out.
Ask for it at the library! Initially, they probably won’t have it. But if enough people ask for it they may order it the next time they are making buying decisions. The book is a perfect for libraries.
Give one to a science teacher! The book is also a great addition to science courses. It’s a quick read, gives a great history of an important scientist who is largely ignored in history books, and the pictures and graphics will spark the interest of even the least inspired student.
Thanks to all of you this experience of bringing Nikola Tesla to the world has been truly amazing. Let’s wake up a new generation of readers and budding scientists. Let’s celebrate Tesla!
The BarnesandNoble.com site has the book for order. I’ll be showing up at various Barnes and Noble stores in July to sign books. Keep coming back to my Tesla Events and Speaking Engagements page here on Science Traveler for updates.
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Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is officially published as of June 30, 2013. It is now available exclusively at BarnesandNoble.com now! I’ve already provided a quick sneak peak, and now it’s time to highlight more about the book.
To begin with, the book is designed to appeal to a wide range of the general public, not just academic researchers. So…
Like thrilling personality insights? The book is chock full of interesting stories on Tesla from his “100-bug-powered” windmills as a youth to his practical jokes on Mark Twain in his heyday to his dispute with Einstein as he entered his twilight years.
Into graphic novels?Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity includes many historical comics and photos to spotlight key events and figures in Tesla’s spectacular life. The book is an amazing visual experience.
An invention buff? The book captures the prolific inventive mind of Nikola Tesla and how many of his inventions were so far ahead of their time that we are still today relying on his patents for new discoveries.
Turned on by conflict and tension? Tesla’s life can be summed up by one of my chapter titles: “A Man Always at War.” Delve into the complex relationships he had with Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Guglielmo Marconi, J.P. Morgan, and others that were sometimes colleagues, and sometimes rivals.
Prefer serious historical biography?Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity traces the great man’s life from his childhood in the military frontier, through his schooling and employment in the grand capitals of Europe, to his tumultuous, yet most productive, years in New York City, Colorado Springs, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Niagara Falls.
In short, the book provides insights into a man who has been largely ignored by history despite his huge contributions to modern life. A man who over 100 years ago anticipated that one day we would all be carrying around hand-held devices capable of instant communication across vast distances. Who a century ago promoted and developed renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels. A man who left us a legacy that is just now being rediscovered by scientists, the public, and perhaps most ironically, pop culture.
Join me in celebrating the life and legacy of Nikola Tesla. Spread the word.
Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is available exclusively in Barnes and Noble stores and online at barnesandnoble.com (and BN.com).
Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page. And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn. Share with your friends using the buttons below.
An odd thing happened today. I heard a knock on the door, and who might I find there? You guessed it – Nikola Tesla.
I told him he looked a bit pale, but his response was too faded to hear. In any case, Tesla has agreed to join me on the road as I visit my family and old friends in Massachusetts, then give a lecture in Philadelphia, and finally throw a full-fledged party for him (and me).
Pre-order the book online at Barnes and Noble.com. Do NOT go to Amazon because you won’t find it there (long story). At less than $10 the book is a bargain. Pre-order it now for delivery as soon as June 30th arrives.
I’ll have more information – and photos of the inside – shortly. The countdown has begun!
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The book is being published by Sterling Publishing (specifically, their Fall River Press imprint). Since Sterling is a subsidiary of Barnes and Noble, for the initial launch period the book will be available exclusively at Barnes and Noble stores and on the barnesandnoble.com website. You won’t find it listed on Amazon so go straight to the barnesandnoble.com (or BN.com) site.
The hard copy book is currently available for pre-order. Check it out, you can’t beat the price. Pre-order it now for delivery as soon as June 30th arrives.
Want an e-book? To speed up the process of adding the e-book to the site, look below the pre-order button for where it says “nook books.” Click on the line that asks “Want to read this on your NOOK? Request as NOOK Book from the publisher.” It will tell them to get the e-book online. [Or if it is already there by the time you click, just go ahead and order it]
In July the book will be in the actual Barnes and Noble brick-and-mortar stores. Look for it prominently displayed near the front door as you enter the store. I’ll provide more details when that happens, plus let you know where I’ll be secretly showing up to sign copies of the book (and give talks about Tesla to anyone interested).
I’ll also have copies for sale through this website, assuming I have any left after the upcoming visit with my family and my participation in Tesla Days in Philadelphia. Look for a link on this site in early July.
Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page. And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn. Share with your friends using the buttons below.
We have a book release date! Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is officially scheduled to be published on June 30, 2013. That is when it will be available to the general public. A mere nine months after I submitted the manuscript. Of course, it isn’t really that easy. The process of publishing a book, while not quite like having a baby, apparently takes just as long.
I actually finished writing the book and submitted it to the publisher on September 10, 2012. A few weeks later I receive word from my editor that the manuscript was just what they were looking for. Then by the time I finish my “happy dance” I have a set of edits to review. To my amazement and relief most are minor and the few more substantive ones are easily addressed. That got us to November. By January the electronic manuscript files were sent to the overseas printer.
Then I wait.
Tap, tap, tap.
Okay, is it done yet? No? More tapping.
Spring forward to April 2nd – details from my editor at Sterling Publishing. Happy dance again. [Okay, for those who know me, I admit that I didn’t actually do a “happy dance” because, well, let’s just say it would not look so happy. Feel free to rid that rhetorical flourish from your mind’s eye.]
In any case, the printing of the book is going to take a while. It’s being printed overseas so that the cost savings can be put into all the color for the interior pages and the foil treatment being used for the cover. In short, this is going to be a nice looking book. If all goes well with the printing then the books should hit the warehouse by June 20th and be available in Barnes and Noble stores by June 30th.
Which is just in time because I plan to attend the Tesla Days events in Philadelphia on July 6-10 celebrating the 157th anniversary of Tesla’s birth. I’ll have a supply of books on-hand for purchase by anyone who will be in the area to witness displays of Tesla-inspired inventions, attempts to produce free energy, a “battle of the Tesla coils,” a Tesla art show, and music, movies, and literary wonders galore. I hope you’ll drop by.
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NOTE: To schedule appearances, email to davidjkent DOT writer AT gmail DOT com
Upcoming appearances:
October 29, 2024: The Election of 1864: Was the Election Stolen? Presentation and discussion [RSVP Here to get Zoom link]
September-November 2024: LGDC’s book study forum reads and discusses Lincoln: The Fire of Genius. Virtual. [More Info] [Read more here]
November 16-19, 2024: Attendance at Lincoln Forum, Gettysburg, PA. [More Details]
February 11, 2025: LGDC Celebration of Lincoln’s Birthday in Washington, DC featuring Sidney Blumenthal [More Details Soon]
February 12, 2025: LGDC wreath laying ceremony, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC [More Details Soon]
March 22, 2025: Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium, Ford’s Theatre, Washington, DC [More Details Soon]
Selected recent appearances:
October 15, 2024: “Lincoln and the Election of 1864,” presentation and led discussion for Lincoln Group of DC [Watch Video Here]
September 7, 2024: Lincoln: The Fire of Genius presentation to the Henry Clay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). [Watch the Video]
June 6, 2024: White House Historical Association History Happy Hour on Lincoln: The Fire of Genius [Watch the Video Here]
May 21, 2024: Hosted Nancy Bradeen Spannaus “Lincoln and Jefferson and Hamilton and Defeating Slavery,” Lincoln Group of DC, Zoom Only [Watch the Video]
May 15, 2024: “Lincoln’s Influence on Science & Technology in the Civil War” presentation, York (PA) Civil War Round Table [Watch the Video]
April 16, 2024: Hosted Christopher Oakley for the Lincoln Group of DC monthly meeting. Virtual. [Video Here]
March 14, 2024: Moderator of White House Historical Association History Happy Hour Featuring Carl Adams [Watch the Video Here]
February 21, 2024: Co-hosted Harold Holzer for the joint LGDC/CWRTDC Lincoln Birthday Banquet, Fort Myer [C-SPAN Video Here]
February 12, 2024: Presentation of the Gettysburg Address at the Lincoln Memorial, Lincoln Birthday wreath laying.
January 16, 2024: Hosting Andrew Lang for the Lincoln Group of DC monthly meeting. Virtual. [Watch Video]
December 5, 2023: Hosted and moderated the LGDC luncheon featuring Terry Alford
November 16-19, 2023: The Lincoln Forum conference, Gettysburg, PA
October 17, 2023: Moderated the LGDC program parsing the Gettysburg Address [Watch Video]
April 15, 2023: Keynote presentation at the annual banquet of the Lincoln Society of Peekskill, Peekskill, NY [Details here]
March 25, 2023: Presentation at the ALI Symposium, Ford’s Theatre, Washington, DC. [Watch the Video]
February 22, 2023: Attendance at A Walk to Respect, a conversation between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
February 12, 2023: Lincoln’s Birthday Wreath Laying, Lincoln Memorial
February 11, 2023: Keynote speaker, Lincoln’s Birthday Banquet, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), Alexandria, VA
February 8, 2023: Joint LGDC/CWRTDC dinner lecture by Jon Meacham, Washington, DC [Recording Coming Soon]
February 3, 2023: Virtual talk on Lincoln: The Fire of Genius for students, faculty, staff, community of Lone Star College-Kingwood [Watch here]
January 13, 2023: My Interview for a nationally syndicated radio program called Our American Stories premiers. [Listen to the Podcast] [Read a transcript]
January 12, 2023: Interview with President Lincoln’s Cottage as part of their Scholar Sessions, Virtual [Watch the Video Here]
January 11, 2023: Looking for Lincoln Conversations, “How Lincoln Institutionalized Science and Technology in the Federal Government,” Virtual, 7 pm CT (8 pm ET) [[Watch the Video Here]
November 17, 2022: Accepted the Wendy Allen Award for the Lincoln Group of DC at the Lincoln Forum [Read about it here]
November 16-19, 2022: Presentation, Breakout session, Book signing, Lincoln Forum, Gettysburg, PA [See the schedule]
October 26, 2022: “The Art and Science of Abraham Lincoln,” Arts Club of Washington, Washington, DC
October 13, 2022: “Lincoln, Science, Technology, and the Civil War,” Civil War Round Table of DC, Fort Myer, Arlington, VA [Audio available soon here and Video Here]
September 17, 2022: “Lincoln, Mathew Brady, and Photographic Technology,” Dedication event at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC
September 16, 2022: “Lincoln, Science, and Technology in the Civil War,” lecture at the Cosmos Club, Washington, DC
September 13, 2022: The Fire of Genius Book Launch Party with the Lincoln Group of DC, Maggiano’s Restaurant, Washington, DC [SEE ON C-SPAN2 AT 9:30 AM, NOV. 19TH, THEN ON VIDEO THEREAFTER]
September 3, 2022: The Fire of Genius lecture for the Rock Creek Civil War Round Table, Washington, DC (Online)
September 1, 2022: Release Day Interview by Daniel Weinberg of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop on A House Divided broadcast! [Check out the video]
August 19, 2022: Interview with Andy Lucien of the Civil War Center Podcast [Listen to the Podcast here]
May 22, 2022: Lincoln Memorial Centennial on the Memorial steps. [David J. Kent, Organizer and Master of Ceremonies] [Watch the Video on C-SPAN]
January 18, 2022: “Archer Alexander: The Monument’s Unknown Hero” by Dorris Keeven-Franke [Introduction] [See the replay here] Access Passcode: D&3+wx8e
May 18, 2021: Became President of the Lincoln Group of DC
April 13, 2021: Panel member on “The Case for Honoring Lincoln” for the Illinois State Society. [Zoom] Watch the recorded event here.
January 15, 2021: Chaired a panel on “Teaching Lincoln.” Other panelists were from the Library of Congress, Lincoln Cottage, and Ford’s Theatre. Cosmos Club Civil War Round Table, Washington, D.C. [Zoom]
September 18, 2020: Invited to “Dialogue on Civil War Statues” with journalist Barry Wood, Moderated by Rod Ross. Cosmos Club, Washington DC. [Zoom]
September 5, 2020: Invited speaker at Rock Creek Civil War Round Table. “Abraham Lincoln’s Long Road to Emancipation.” [MS Team]
June 26, 2020: “What Would Lincoln Do.” Interview and 1.5-hour conversation with filmmaker Annabel Park on The Talk on Main St. [Watch it here]
June 4, 2020: “Lincoln and Viruses: The Past and Present Collide.” Invited speaker at the Library Company of Philadelphia, June 4, 2020. [Watch it here]
April 5, 2020: Featured hour interview on The Railsplitter: The Abraham Lincoln Podcast, Episode #122. Interview of me on my blog post “That Time Lincoln Got a Virus and Almost Died,” published on my website 3/25/20. Interview took place on April 3, 2020 with all three hosts. Went live on the podcast website on 4/5/20. [Podcasts archived at https://therailsplitter.podbean.com/]
[Note the photos and info below are being retired. See above for current appearance schedule. Watch for updates and new photos. Media information also on the way.]
Check out these photos sent to me by fans (if you send me yours, I’ll post it here too!). There are also photos of historic meetings:
Meeting HRH Prince Alexander of Serbia
And HRH Princess Katherine of Serbia
Plus, Dr. Branimir Jovanovic, Tesla Museum, Belgrade
Posted by Bridget R. Gaudette on “March for Science” Facebook page, 2/9/17
Two books in one – from Josh Amaya 10-10-16 FB
Melissa Nolledo, Photographer Extraordinaire
Nikola Lonchar, President, Tesla Science Foundation
Ljubo Vujovic, President, Tesla Memorial Society of New York
Dr. Pablo Vigliano, Universidad Nacional del Comahue-Bariloche
Kids like it too…
Kyle Driebeek donating a book to his school library
Some day I’ll be as tall as Tesla
Being interviewed…
…by Tesla Magazine…
…and Tesla TV
More testimonials and cool stuff!
“Beautiful book, great storytelling.” – Lisa Gensheimer, Goodreads (5 stars)
Exton, PA
New Yorker Hotel, NYC
“I got my book, not what I expected, can’t believe the graphics and print, read most every book there is on Tesla, you gave it Life!!”
– Jim Nelson, Facebook, 7/18/13
“Clear, accessible writing and beautiful photographs and ephemera make this book a fun and easy read.”
– Alyb, Goodreads
“I have never read such a beautiful book! Loved it!”
– Cindi Taylor Nelson, Facebook
“There are several biographies about Nicola Tesla however this one by David Kent is more informative, easy to understand, fun! and just a damn good book. I read the entire book in a 24 hour period, I could not put it down and that does not happen very often. If you want to understand why you enjoy all the comforts of electricity than get a copy of this book you will not be disappointed. Kent is just one of those people who knows how to tell a story.” – Alexander Stevens, Facebook
In addition, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has received high praise from:
– Nikola Lonchar (President, Tesla Science Foundation)
– Jane Alcorn (President, Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe)
– William Terbo (Grand-nephew and closest living relative of Nikola Tesla)
– Nenad Stankovic (Publisher of Tesla Magazine)
and many more!
Meeting the cast of the off-Broadway play, TESLA (written by Sheri Graubert; directed by Sanja Bestic; starring James Lee Taylor, Jack Dimich, and a wonderful cast)
In a previous post I talked about how Nikola Tesla, though largely ignored in the history books, had caught on as somewhat of a movie rock star. With David Bowie, no less. One of the movies mentioned in that post was an independent film co-written and directed by filmmaker Joseph Sikorski. The movie is called Fragments From Olympus: “The Vision of Nikola Tesla,” and in it “the enigmatic life of electrical genius Nikola Tesla unravels through a posthumous F.B.I. investigation into his particle beam research, including a new super weapon called the ‘death ray’.”
Sikorski and Vic Elefante, Production Supervisor for the film, recently attended the Tesla Memorial Conference at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City. Joe and Vic provided us in attendance with a double treat. First they previewed Fragments, then surprised the crowd with the introduction of a second effort, this one specifically focused on helping to save Wardenclyffe. An homage to the people who have worked so hard to raise the funds and negotiate the purchase of the Wardenclyffe property, the new effort is called Tower to the People: Tesla’s Dream at Wardenclyffe Continues. Check out the trailer:
Joe and Vic and all the others who are working on Fragments deserve tremendous credit for selflessly giving of their time and skills to develop the Tower project. They have collaborated with Jane Alcorn of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, the Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman, and myriad others, to help bring the name of Nikola Tesla back into its rightful place in history.
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My book chapter outline is contractually due May 1st and so I’m diligently adding the finishing touches so I can send it to the editor. Meanwhile, the contract is finally finished and the first installment of the advance should arrive within 30 days. (Yay!)
Here’s a preview:
Chapter 1:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â A Scientific Rock Star is Born
Chapter 2:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Coming of Age in Europe
Chapter 3:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The Odd Mr. Tesla
Chapter 4:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Of Edison and Westinghouse
Chapter 5:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â A Man Always at War
Chapter 6:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wireless and Wardenclyffe
Chapter 7:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Taking on Einstein
Chapter 8:          Beyond the Grave – Conspiracies and Pop Culture
Chapter 9:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â A Lasting Legacy
It’s in!! I sent the Chapter Outline in to my editor at Sterling Press tonight. The signed contract gets put into snail mail tomorrow (yeah, snail mail, go figure).
My name is David J. Kent. I am an Abraham Lincoln historian, a former career scientist, and a global traveler. Here is me in a nutshell:
Author of 7 books on Abraham Lincoln, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison
Author of chapters in 3 additional books
Over 200 articles in popular and scholarly magazines, journals, and newspapers
Over 200 presentations to a variety of interest groups
Editor of over 20 scholarly papers and dissertations
Contributed over 1,500 posts for a variety of blogs
Written hundreds of technical scientific reports
Recipient of around 50 awards and recognitions in both my scientific and Lincoln historian careers
World traveler to nearly 90 countries and territories (with more on the way)
Also:
Past President for the Lincoln Group of DC and previously for 4 scientific organizations
Currently on the Advisory Boards of three Abraham Lincoln organizations
Current Lincolniana Editor for the Lincoln Herald
Chairmanships for more than a dozen conferences and committees
Dozens of appearances on C-SPAN, local and national broadcasts, podcasts, radio, and other virtual and in-person media
I was the primary organizer and served as Master of Ceremonies for the Lincoln Memorial Centennial program in 2022. I also was the keynote speaker and presented the Gettysburg Address at the 2024 Lincoln Birthday Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. I have spoken at the dedications of other memorials and somber events.
My newest book is Lincoln, The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America. You can purchase it at any bookseller nationwide, as well as in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Signed copies can be ordered here. Here are two of the many advance praises for the book:
This is the first in-depth study of Abraham Lincoln’s interest in technology and science and how that interest impacted his life and his Presidency. As Kent demonstrates, Lincoln was a catalyst for some of that transformation wrought by science and technology.
– Marc Rothenberg, Ph.D., Editor, The Papers of Joseph Henry, and past Historian, National Academy of SciencesÂ
David J. Kent, a man of science and of history, has skillfully combined his knowledge of both to write a masterful treatise on Lincoln’s scientific mind.
– Edward Steers, Jr., Ph.D., author of Blood on the Moon and Getting Right With Lincoln.
I also have two other books on Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. Check them out here.
I’ve also written books about famous scientists – Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World, plus an e-book: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of His Time.
[Photo of David J. Kent at Lincoln Memorial Centennial courtesy of Bruce Guthrie]
Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is now officially published.
A quick update on the upcoming launch of 
My name is David J. Kent. I am an Abraham Lincoln historian, a former career scientist, and a global traveler. Here is me in a nutshell:
