The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures by Paul Fischer

Thomas Edison is credited with many great inventions: movies, electricity, and the phonograph, to name a few. His integrity isn’t without question, however, and many people are aware that Edison may have stolen his “invention” of the incandescent bulb from Nikola Tesla. Less well known is that he was not the first person to successfully film a motion picture; that credit goes to Louis Le Prince. After a decade's worth of work and several experiments, Le Prince was on his way to the US to showcase his invention when he disappeared. In this careful and thoroughly engrossing account, Fischer makes the case for Le Prince, shedding light on a long-obscured mystery and once again bringing Edison’s honor into question.  —Jade