The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

This letterbook covers the period October-December 1890. Most of the correspondence is by Edison and Alfred O. Tate. Many of the letters relate to the manufacture and marketing of the phonograph and talking doll. Included are numerous letters pertaining to the business of the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Co. and to Edison's unsuccessful attempt to gain control of that company. There are also many letters concerning the affairs of the Edison Phonograph Works and the Automatic Phonograph Exhibition Co. In addition, there are documents relating to mining and ore milling, mimeograph sales, electric lighting, and electric traction systems. Other letters deal with the formation of the Edison Industrial Works and the Swedish Edison Co. There are a few letters about Edison's family and his personal affairs, including the terminal illness of his brother, William Pitt, and his efforts to rent or sell the laboratory and grounds at Menlo Park. Beginning on page 81 is a three-page list of experiments billed against the Edison General Electric Co. for the period January-September 1890. The front cover is labeled "Thomas A. Edison General Letter Book Indexed." The book contains 503 numbered pages and an index. Approximately 25 percent of the book has been selected.