The Inventor and the Tycoon
The Murderer Eadweard Muybridge, the Entrepreneur Leland Stanford, and the Birth of Moving Pictures
By Edward Ball | Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
About the book
A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book of the Year
Nearly 140 years ago, in frontier California, photographer Eadweard Muybridge captured time with his camera and played it back on a flickering screen, inventing the breakthrough technology of moving pictures. Yet the visionary inventor Muybridge was also a murderer who killed coolly and meticulously, and his trial became a national sensation. Despite Muybridge’s crime, the artist’s patron, railroad tycoon Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University, hired the photographer to answer the question of whether the four hooves of a running horse ever left the ground all at once—and together these two unlikely men launched the age of visual media. Written with style and passion by National Book Award-winner Edward Ball, this riveting true-crime tale of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads puts on display the virtues and vices of the great American West.
Editions of The Inventor and the Tycoon
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780385525756
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780767929400
- EBook
- ISBN 9780385535496
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780307876652
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780307876638
- AudioDisc
- ISBN 9780307876645
- AudioDisc
- ISBN 9780307876621
Read an Excerpt
A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book of the Year
Nearly 140 years ago, in frontier California, photographer Eadweard Muybridge captured time with his camera and played it back on a flickering screen, inventing the breakthrough technology of moving pictures. Yet the visionary inventor Muybridge was also a murderer who killed coolly and meticulously, and his trial became a national sensation. Despite Muybridge’s crime, the artist’s patron, railroad tycoon Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University, hired the photographer to answer the question of whether the four hooves of a running horse ever left the ground all at once—and together these two unlikely men launched the age of visual media. Written with style and passion by National Book Award-winner Edward Ball, this riveting true-crime tale of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads puts on display the virtues and vices of the great American West.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Inventor and the Tycoon about?
A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book of the Year
Nearly 140 years ago, in frontier California, photographer Eadweard Muybridge captured time with his camera and played it back on a flickering screen, inventing the breakthrough technology of moving pictures. Yet the visionary inventor Muybridge was also a murderer who killed coolly and meticulously, and his trial became a national sensation. Despite Muybridge’s crime, the artist’s patron, railroad tycoon Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University, hired the photographer to answer the question of whether the four hooves of a running horse ever left the ground all at once—and together these two unlikely men launched the age of visual media. Written with style and passion by National Book Award-winner Edward Ball, this riveting true-crime tale of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads puts on display the virtues and vices of the great American West.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in The Inventor and the Tycoon?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Biography: general > Biography: arts and entertainment
Where can I read a sample of The Inventor and the Tycoon?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780385525756
Who is/are the Author/s of the book The Inventor and the Tycoon?
Edward Ball
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
The Inventor and the Tycoon is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780385525756) and paperback(ISBN 9780767929400) and ebook(ISBN 9780385535496) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780307876652) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780307876638) and audiodisc(ISBN 9780307876645) and audiodisc(ISBN 9780307876621)
Where can I buy The Inventor and the Tycoon online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy The Inventor and the Tycoon?