The riveting story of three men who unleashed the potential of electricity in the final decades of the nineteenth century: Thomas Alva Edison, the nation's greatest inventor and creator of the incandescent light bulb; Nikola Tesla, the eccentric Serbian whose genius revolutionized the industry; and George Westinghouse, the tough industrial entrepreneur and empire builder.

List of scientific diagrams -- Introduction -- 1. "Morgan's house was lighted up last night" -- 2. "Endeavor to make it useful" -- 3. Thomas Edison : "the wizard of Menlo Park" -- 4. Nikola Tesla : "our Parisian" -- 5. George Westinghouse : "he is ubiquitous" -- 6. Edison declares war -- 7. "Constant danger from sudden death" -- 8. "The horrible experiment" -- 9. 1891 : "fear everywhere of worse to come" -- 10. The World's Fair : "the electrician's ideal city" -- 11. Niagara power : "what a fall of bright-green water!" -- 12. "Yoked to the cataract!" -- 13. Afterword -- Acknowledgments -- Bibliography -- Notes -- Photograph credits -- Index.