This letterbook covers the period September 1901-March 1902. Most of the correspondence is by Edison and John F. Randolph. There are also letters by Walter S. Mallory, John V. Miller, and others. Many of the items relate to the planning and construction of the Edison Portland Cement Co. plant at Stewartsville, New Jersey. There are also numerous letters concerning the technical and commercial development of Edison's alkaline storage battery and Edison's search in the Sudbury district of Ontario and other locations for sources of nickel for his battery. Also included are letters regarding the erection of an iron ore concentration plant in the Dunderland region of Norway, in connection with the Edison Ore Milling Syndicate, Ltd., as well as other items pertaining to Edison's interest in ore milling, mines, and ores. There are also a few letters dealing with the domestic phonograph business and the defunct Edison United Phonograph Co. Among the items relating to family and personal matters are several letters to Kermit Roosevelt regarding an exchange of autographs between Edison and Theodore Roosevelt, correspondence with Herman E. Dick concerning Edison's health problems, and a letter to T. Commerford Martin about Edison's etheric force experiments in 1875.
The label on the front cover contains the following notation: "Personal Letter Book of Thomas A. Edison Sept. 5, 1901 to March 13, 1902." There is a label on the spine with similar information. The book contains 500 numbered pages and an index. Approximately 25 percent of the book has been selected.
[LB067410], Letter from John Vincent Miller to T J Ryan, February 18th, 1902 1902-02-18