Synopsis
Why did a pioneering inventor of the movie camera vanish without trace on the eve of his success? In September 1890 the French inventor Augustine Le Prince boarded a train in Dijon, France, for Paris. For three years he had struggled to perfect a motion picture camera and projector in his Leeds workshop. Now he was on his way home to New York to present the world debut of moving pictures. But Le Prince never reached Paris; and in New York his wife Lizzie waited in vain. He was never seen again. Instead of Le Prince's triumph, it was Thomas A.Edison who claimed first place in the race for one of the most lucrative technological discoveries of all time. This is the untold story of Le Prince's disappearance, of the inventor's restless obsession and of his family's tragic determination to prove that he was the true father of film. It is a detective story and a literary tour de force, reconstructing the optimistic mood of a time when it seemed art and science could save humanity. It is the dramatic tale of ruthless skulduggery on the part of the American corporate battalions. And it is a story of individual hope and betrayal which spans a century and two continents from the streets of 19th century Leeds to the deserted beaches of Fire Island in the 1920s, to London, Paris, New York in the 1890s and an attic in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1988.

RELEASE NOTES:

Celebratory RABCK for RockDg9.

Received today from peggysmum! Thanks so much for this RABCK! It looks like it will be an interesting story.

This is a fascinating story of invention, conspiracy and patent law. It paints Thomas Edison as somewhat of a capatalist thief, as it puts forward that Le Prince invented a workable camera and projector before Edison did. Le Prince devoted a lot of his life to this invention, and for him to disappear at such a critical time is very intriguing.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable book and a fantastic story.

This is now travelling to lauraloo29 in Canada

Arrived safe and sound today. Thank you!

Sadly, I just can't get into this book. :( I'll look for a new home for it.

Sending as a RABCK to LeishaCamden. Enjoy!

This book arrived in the mail from Canada yesterday. It was such a great surprise, I had forgotten about this RABCK. :-D Thank you so much, lauraloo! I love movies and this looks like a fascinating read about the very infancy of the film industry. I'll journal again when I've read the book.

Believe it or not, but I've finally read this book ... ! :-D In fact, I read it ages ago - in September - I just haven't gotten around to journalling it till now. I'm the slowest journaller ever ... :-(

But better late than never. This was a good read, a fascinating story that I was almost entirely unfamiliar with. There's a lot of info in the book so that at times I felt it was something of a slog ... a lot of facts & figures to take in & remember. But overall it's well written and very interesting. Certainly for a reader - such as myself :-) - who's into movies and also enjoys learning about the history and background of the movie industry. This is a bit of almost forgotten history that really ought to be remembered. It's great that this book is out there - I'd recommend it to any movie buff.

Not sure what to do with the book now, but there is a BCer in Wales who I think may be interested in it. :-) So maybe the book will travel to the UK next. We'll see. :-)

Thanks again for sharing, lauraloo29!! :-)

Believe it or not, but this book is still with me ... ! But not for much longer. :-) It will be traveling with me to the 2015 BookCrossing convention in Oxford, England, where I hope it will find a new and appreciative reader. :-)

Releasing this as part of the book buffet at this year's BookCrossing convention! :-)