Edison’s Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History’s Greatest Geniuses

Scientists who have become household names are brought down to earth as Katie Spalding reveals their foibles, idiosyncrasies, and just plain weirdness. With unmatched irreverence, readers are taken on a historical jaunt showing how the supernatural and even absurd beliefs digressed from expected scientific behavior. Albert Einstein, dedicated to sailing, his favorite hobby, was so incompetent he had to be rescued time and again. Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, trained to be a physician while believing in fairies, despite recognizing he had been hoaxed by two young children. Sigmund Freud, suffered for years with a cancerous jaw, and made cocaine his drug of choice to ease the pain. Isaac Newton temporarily blinded himself for three days staring at the sun without the precaution of protecting his eyes.

Among the thirty candidates Spalding has chosen to unveil, Marie Curie wore radium as a wristband. Luminaries whose names are less familiar, made scientific contributions now woven into our daily lives.

Spalding’s impeccable research is crammed with British slang that is heavy on ‘effing and blinding,’ a term for American readers to Google. The book is a hilarious hoot humanizing men and women normally viewed only on pedestals.