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William Seward and Walter Stahr – Double Signed

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William Henry Seward was Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State. Everyone knows that. Seward also bought Alaska (aka, “Seward’s Folly”). Many people know that. But Seward also was one of Lincoln’s biggest rivals, then became one of his closest friends. And as author Walter Stahr reminds us, Seward was Lincoln’s Indispensable Man.

The latter is the subtitle to Stahr’s biography called, simply, Seward. Stahr traces Seward’s rise as “progressive governor of New York, outspoken federal senator, odds-on favorite to win the 1860 Republican nomination, secretary of state during the Civil War and its aftermath, Lincoln’s closest friend and adviser, target of the assassins who killed Lincoln, purchaser of Alaska, early architect of America’s empire.”

If that sounds like a lot, it is. Arguably Lincoln might have lost the nation before he even started his presidency if Seward hadn’t been enlisted to help glue together a country that was in the process of tearing itself apart. Luckily for the country, William Seward was there. And luckily for me, Walter Stahr was the guest speaker at our monthly Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia dinner.

Walter Stahr at Lincoln Group of DC

I had a chance to talk briefly with Stahr prior to his talk. He clearly knows his stuff. He spent about five years researching Seward for the book, just as he had for his previous book about founding father John Jay. Speaking to a roomful of Lincoln scholars (who know a thing or two about William Seward), Stahr provided us with some fascinating insights that made many of us want to learn more. We all gained immensely from his knowledge.

I also gained a bit of a red face. I had brought my copy of Seward to have Stahr autograph it, which he gladly proceeded to do. Only to find that he already had. Ugh. It was then that I realized I had ordered the book directly from the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago. The ALBS has a fantastic feature in which you can order online and then watch the author sign the book for you via live-streamed video. He signed it specifically to me at the time. Ah, but as you can see in the photo below, Stahr graciously covered my embarrassment by signing the book again, in person. 🙂

Seward by Walter Stahr

In the end I got a two-fer. A fantastic lecture by a distinguished author and scholar, and a double-signed book to add to my collection. Not a bad deal at all.

More about Walter Stahr. View his talk at the 2013 Library of Congress Book Festival.

More about the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in 2017.

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A Little Bit of Mini-Europe

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For three years I lived and worked in the European Union capital of Brussels, Belgium. While there I traveled as much as my workload and finances would allow. But I can say that one day I saw all of Europe. Yes, in one day.

Technically it wasn’t all of Europe; it was more of a highlights tour. But in the shadow of the Atomium (that big bunch of silver balls that makes up this website’s background photo), there lies a small park called mini-Europe. Mini as in miniature landmarks representative of the major vistas and capitals of the continent (and the UK too). Here is what it looks like from high up in the Atomium.

Mini-Europe in Brussels

Since this is Brussels, they of course have the Grand Place…the big square that sits in the center of the city.  You can see the detail that went into these models.  Check out the gothic style city hall, decorated with 294 statues from the 19th century, which dominates one side of the square.  This particular display shows the carpet of flowers that graces the Grand Place only one weekend every two years. A grand site to see. (And as an added bonus, the famous manneken pis is just a short walk away).

Grand Place Brussels

Heading north gets you to the Castle of Olavinlinna, built in 1475 in Finland.  It used to form part of the frontier defenses against Russia.

Castle of Olavinlinna Finland

Some countries have only one or two landmarks (Luxembourg’s contribution is a single highway bridge).  France is well represented with several landmarks from around the country.  Here is the church of Sacre Coeur, which sits high atop Montmartre Hill in the northern part of Paris.  On a clear day you can see 50 km away.

Sacre Coeur Paris

Moving over to Italy, I’m sure everyone will recognize Pisa.  The Piazza del Duomo is pretty much the attraction in this northern coastal city.  The campanile (leaning tower) is 55 meters in height and has never been straight since its construction.  Behind it is a Romanesque Cathedral built to celebrate the victory of the Pisan fleet over Palermo. The model is made entirely of small marble blocks and weighs 800 kg. Consider that the next time you complain about doing a mere 1000-piece puzzle.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Last stop on today’s tour is Athens, Greece.  Situated on the highest point in the city is the Acropolis, which was built in the 5th century B.C. as a national sanctuary for the worship of the twelve Greek gods.

Acropolis Athens

I’ve been lucky enough to have visited all of the landmarks above, with the notable exception of the Olavinlinna Castle (though on more than one occasion I was in Finland’s capital, Helsinki). There are many more mini-landmarks in mini-Europe, so I’ll be coming back here periodically. In fact, I’ll be showing photos of the model along with my own photos taken during visits to the real places. I have to admit, after seeing the models it’s is very cool to see the leaning tower, the Acropolis, Sacre Coeur and more up close and personal.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Some days are sunsets…other days are sunrises

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Some days are sunsets…

Sunset - A Time for Change

More details to come.

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David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in 2017.

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Bestselling Statistics for Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity

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Barnes and Noble DC 23July2013Now that Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has been in Barnes and Noble stores for a few weeks, I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at some of the pertinent statistics.

Keep in mind that Sterling Publishing is a subsidiary of Barnes and Noble, so the book has not yet been released to Amazon. Which, of course, is where most people go to shop for books online (sorry B&N). Even without being released to Amazon I do see two resellers listing the book. Also, while you can shop online at barnesandnoble.com, the warehouse was emptied because bookstores kept reordering. Though here again there is a reseller listing the book and you can always download an ebook (I read mine with a Nook app on my iPhone). [Of course, you can still buy a book directly from me]

So how is the book doing so far? Rather well, thank you. We’ve sold over 80% of the first, larger than normal, printing, and the publisher is looking at releasing a second printing in the spring. While I don’t check every day so may have missed a higher peak, the book reached at least #20 on the Barnes and Noble Bestsellers list for Scientist-Biography and #18 for the History & Philosophy of Science Category. It also reached at least #28 in the Scientists, Inventors & Naturalists category. Not bad for a book that had a grand total of $0.00 marketing budget. Not bad at all.

Another metric to gauge how well the book is doing is Goodreads, where “100% of people liked it.” As of this morning there were 17 ratings. The average rating was a tremendous 4.71, with 12 of the ratings being “5”s and the other 5 ratings being “4”s. Where getting an average over “4” and not seeing any individual rating less than that is a rarity, my average of 4.71 is extremely gratifying. [If you’ve read the book, please leave a rating on Goodreads and bn.com]

Bottom line – the book is doing fantastic by any metric.

The success of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity coincides with a personal and professional transition. A week from now my day job and night job will flip. I’ll be writing full time and consulting part time. I’ll also be traveling as much as I can squeeze into my schedule and finances. Expect to see more frequent updates on this website, and more attention to the other topics in my header pages. While transitions can often be traumatic, I’m looking forward to this one. Big time. I hope you’ll join me.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Stores are starting to sell out their stock, and restock, so get them while they are available.

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Kyle Driebeek Donates Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity to Bear Path School

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Tesla: The Wizard of ElectricityOne of the things I treasure the most about the experience of publishing Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is the chance to meet some great people. While I’ve met off-Broadway actors and writers (TESLA), authors and museum directors, and even Nikola Tesla’s grandnephew, one of the most inspiring has been 12-year-old Kyle Driebeek and his family.

I wrote about Kyle after meeting him several months ago at the annual Tesla conference in the New Yorker Hotel. His mother Betsy has kept me up-to-date on his activities since then, and we met again at Tesla Days in Philadelphia. Both Kyle and his brother Julian gave presentations about their first experiences trying to research Tesla for school projects. Kyle surprised me by mentioning he would be buying an extra copy of my book and donating it to the school library. He encouraged others to do the same.

On August 30th, Kyle presented the book to Mrs. Margo Nabors, librarian at the Bear Path School in Hamden, CT.

Kyle delvering book to Margo

Photo courtesy of Betsy Driebeek

The idea all began in 2010 when a third grade project required students to research a famous person. Kyle chose Nikola Tesla. Other students chose people like Einstein, Disney, Hershey, Edison, Michelle Obama, Orville Wright, and Helen Keller. They had no trouble finding sufficient material for their projects. Tesla? Not so easy. After searching through the library’s database Kyle couldn’t find anything on Tesla. Nothing. The librarian, like Kyle’s parents and most other people, had never heard of Nikola Tesla.

Flash forward three years. My book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, is released and, as Betsy Driebeek puts it, “reaches many ages and intellects.”  Seeing an opportunity to give something back to his elementary school, Kyle decided to donate the book to the school library so that new students would have a chance to learn about this important, but often overlooked, scientist and inventor. Even better, Kyle has volunteered his own extensive and ever-increasing knowledge to assist the next student who comes inquiring about Tesla.

I am honored that Kyle and his family chose to donate my book to further education. Two of my relatives, both long-time teachers, have also told me that they will donate a copy of the book to the local school and public town libraries, respectively. Others have suggested they will do the same. I am very happy that Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is playing a role in bringing the work and life of Nikola Tesla to a wider audience.

As another Tesla friend said to me recently “Tesla awareness is growing rapidly!!!” It’s nice to be a small part of building that awareness.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Stores are starting to sell out their stock, and restock, so get them while they are available.

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Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln

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Martin Luther KingBarack Obama has said that the two people he admires most are Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps this shouldn’t be much of a surprise. In Dreams From My Father, Obama recounts his trials growing up as a young black man with mixed race heritage. While clearly a different upbringing than that of most black men living in America, he did experience the prejudices that were openly prevalent then, and more subtle and covert today.

On August 28th, now-President Obama celebrates the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s historic speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War act decreeing that all slaves in the South “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” As we know from Stephen Spielberg’s movie, Lincoln then worked strenuously to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing “the peculiar institution” of slavery for good.

And yet, it would take 100 years and another great leader rallying the public to continue the fight to achieve basic civil rights and equality for African-Americans and other minorities. Martin Luther King led marches and boycotts in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama, in Chicago, and on Wednesday, August 28, 1963, in Washington DC he led the march that culminated in his seminal “I Have a Dream” speech as Abraham Lincoln’s seated figure loomed over his shoulder. King’s words that day a half century ago still resonate today.

Ah, but today we are still faced with continuing challenges to our basic civil and human rights. The recent Supreme Court decision striking down one facet of the 1965 Voting Rights Act was immediately followed by several states passing severely restrictive new voting requirements that disproportionately impact minorities, the poor, and immigrants. The election of Barack Obama seemingly raised back to the surface some long-held but more subtly expressed ignorance. It is clear that 50 years of civil rights and 150 years of freedom have not been sufficient to eliminate long-ingrained bigotries.

It is within these circumstances that President Obama speaks to tens of thousands once again amassed in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. While King spoke mainly from the perspective of African-American discrimination and rights, Obama speaks to the civil rights of all peoples who continue to face inequity in treatment, be that be due to their race, their religion, their gender, or their sexual orientation.

Perhaps Lincoln and King and Obama could agree. What we need is a dream…a dream that our nation can achieve the more perfect union that it has so long pursued…a dream that a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal shall not perish from the earth…a dream that we work best when we work toward the common goals we all desire – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

A dream, perhaps. But an achievable one.

This is the most recent of a series of essays exploring the nexus between President Obama, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln. Three other essays are linked by Obama’s references to King and Lincoln in his second inaugural address. They can be read in order following the links below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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My favorite bookstores

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Barnes and Noble DC 23July2013I was at the library recently and came across a book called My Bookstore. A 2012 compilation of essays by 84 well-known writers in which they “celebrate their favorite places to browse, read, and shop.”

As I read about The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts, the Strand in New York City, and even Politics and Prose in Washington DC, I couldn’t help but think about the bookstores that graced my local environs. And then I realized there weren’t any.

We’re not completely divorced from bookstores of course. There is a fantastic Barnes and Noble store just a short walk from my home. None of the bookstores mentioned in My Bookstore is a Barnes and Noble. In fact, Barnes and Noble and Borders were at least partially responsible (along with Amazon) for the demise of smaller, independent bookstores that once were more prevalent and that are the ones named in the book. But still, BN offers an in-store Starbucks and a wide selection of new books, something that you can’t get anywhere else.

My most frequented bookstore, however, is probably McKay in Manassas. McKay is a used book store, so you can’t pre-order the new novel by your favorite famous author before release. But it is what a bookstore should be; a place to browse and discover. As one might expect from a store located near one of the nation’s most well known Civil War battlefields, McKay has a huge Civil War section. Between it and the always well-stocked presidential biography shelves, I never fail to walk out with a stack of Abraham Lincoln books. And because McKay take trade-ins, the final cost is always a bargain. They even have a free book bin in front of the store where books they don’t buy, and people don’t recover, are offered to passers-by. No questions asked.

There are other bookstores I visit as well. Prospero’s in Manassas, Reston Used Book Shop at Lake Anne, C&W Used Books (though less so now that the Chantilly store is closed and Woodbridge is more distant). Once in a while I would make the trek out to Harper’s Ferry, WV, but was saddened to find out recently that the Harper’s Ferry Bookstore has now closed (the Harper’s Ferry Historical Association Bookshop, however, remains open). In DC there are Second Story Books and Kramerbooks. Kramerbooks is the only one in the list that carries new releases. They also have a nice cafe where it is not uncommon to sit next to some DC politico or news celebrity (I once saw George Stephanopolous at breakfast…he had eggs [not green] and coffee).

As a reader I have always appreciated bookstores. And feared them, as I rarely walk in without carrying more literary weight on my way out. As independent bookstores have disappeared I do buy more books through Amazon, and of course Barnes and Noble carries both Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World. But I still love the ambiance and the thrill of discovering, usually high up on one of the rustic wooden shelves, an old book I had been seeking for years. Or a rare one that I hadn’t even heard of before. Getting to know the owners of the smaller shops, chatting about books and bookselling, and having a sip of coffee (or whatever), well, that’s what makes a bookstore a bookstore.

What is your favorite bookstore?

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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Tesla (and I) Visit a Book Club

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I recently had the honor of attending a book club and book signing at the home of a long-time colleague and friend. In our best Lennon-McCartney fashion we followed a long and winding road to get there. Set back in a secluded forest enclave, a beautiful country house rose up to meet our arrival. My host was Betsy Grim, now retired after many years at some federal agency that I can’t name (but it has something to do with protecting the environment). And now Betsy leads a book club. The club I was about to meet.

As her guests arrived we were served prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine (sort of like champagne, but don’t repeat that to anyone French). Some great conversation with the early arrivals eventually led to their gruesome realization that they would all have to listen to me talk about my book. Or more accurately, about Nikola Tesla himself.

Tesla and the author

I don’t actually recall how long I talked. I do admit that only one person seemed to sleep through it all, but in all fairness it was one of Betsy’s grandchildren, a six-week old infant who graciously dozed from start to finish. Everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves, and I know I had a great time. Of course, everyone wanted a photo with the star of the event.

Nikola Tesla and friend

Afterwards (and even beforewards), I signed books to various attendees and the many loved ones for whom they were bought as gifts. Betsy duly supplied her suite of grandchildren with their own signed copies. Over two dozen books left with book club members, which made carrying the nearly empty box out much easier than lugging the full one in.

Book signing

In addition to the book event I’ve been getting weekly updates from my editor on the status of book sales in Barnes and Noble stores. He was ecstatic after the first week’s sales, but warned me the numbers would drop off eventually. Enthusiasm grew as the second week was even better; in fact, nearly twice as many flew off the shelves. Similar numbers for the third and fourth weeks in the store brought out the exclamation points! The Barnes and Noble closest to me was down to a single book yesterday after selling out their order…and reorder.

In short, we’ve sold out nearly two-thirds the print run, and it was a larger than normal print run. Sterling Publishers are looking at ordering a second printing, but if you haven’t gotten yours yet you better head out to the stores now because that second printing probably wouldn’t happen until next year. So go to Barnes and Noble stores, hit the barnesandnoble.com website, or order signed copies directly from me.

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Ipswich author tells an electrifying story

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Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and David J. KentThat is the headline of the online version of the article profiling me and Tesla in the Ipswich Chronicle this past week. The hard copy headline is even better – Tesla: An Electrifying Story. The article is available online at Wicked Local – Ipswich.

First of all, only in New England could you find a local paper described as “Wicked.”

Second, the article ran on Page 1 of the hard copy newspaper that came out August 15th, and then continued onto Page 3. For the online version be sure to follow the link to the second page.

I’m very happy with the profile. I was interviewed by Beverly Perna, a long-time freelance contributor to the paper who had been asked by the editor to write a story on me. It turns out Beverly was a perfect choice as she worked at the famous Museum of Science in Boston for ten years so she knows how to communicate science to non-scientists. Even better, she is a big fan of Abraham Lincoln and grew up in Illinois and Indiana, the “lands of Lincoln.”

Oddly enough, I’ve actually been profiled in the Ipswich papers before, though long long ago. Once for a matchbook collection I had in a past life and again for my time studying marine biology in Bermuda. I even have copies of the articles, which I had duly cut out at the time and stashed in my high school yearbook.

Just a few weeks ago I was at another Ipswich-related event here in DC – the play “Within These Walls” about the Ipswich House that resides in the Smithsonian. It was great to meet the playwright and actors after the show. As Beverly notes in her article, even though I’ve lived overseas a few times and have been in the Washington DC area for over one score years, Ipswich will always be my home.

If you haven’t already, you can read the Ipswich Chronicle article online.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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