Reviews for Merchant of Power: Sam Insull, Thomas Edison, and the Creation of the Modern Metropolis

The average rating for Merchant of Power: Sam Insull, Thomas Edison, and the Creation of the Modern Metropolis based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-08-20 00:00:00 Raymond Ancheta I approached this book conversely to the way many others did; I already knew a bit about Insull, but not much about Edison aside from the bubblegummy movie stuff. A great deal was learned about both regardless. This book examines two completely different personalities -- one, of an inventor (Thomas Edison) and second an innovator (Sam Insul). And makes it clear that inventions are not innovations. In a subtle manner it also draws a point that certain kind of innovations only leads towards disaster, hence, not all innovations are equal (or good).

Review # 2 was written on 2013-08-06 00:00:00 Tracy Nichols The community where I grew up was badly affected by the collapse of the Insull empire. One of my historical interests is his electric railroad system: just think about how efficient transportation would be in Chicagoland if not for greed and the Great Depression! But I digress. This biography is well worth the effort to obtain and to read. It patches together the history of many of the quirky north suburbs while being a fascinating narrative.