Do we fully understand the extent of Thomas Edison's genius?

David Oshinsky will be here to discuss the new biography, Edison, by the late Edmund Morris.

Which of the season's celebrity memoirs are most worth reading?

Tina Jordan will be here to talk about books by Dimmie Moore, Julie Andrews, and Carly

Simon.

Alexander Alter will give us an update from the publishing world, plus we'll talk about

what we and the wider world are reading.

This is the Book Review Podcast for the New York Times.

I'm Pamela Paul.

David Oshinsky joins us now to talk about a new book by the late Edmund Morris, the book

is called Edison, and David Oshinsky is himself the author, most recently of Bell View, three

centuries of medicine and mayhem at America's most storied hospital.

And he also won the Pulitzer Prize for his earlier book, Polio, an American story.

David, thanks for being here.

My pleasure.

So we're here to talk about another award-winning writer, the late Edmund Morris.

He died earlier this year for those who aren't familiar with Edmund Morris.

Who was he?

Edmund Morris was one of the great biographers of our generation.

About three decades ago, he wrote a trilogy of Theodore Roosevelt, volume one won the Pulitzer

Prize.

He then followed up with a very controversial biography of Ronald Reagan called Dutch.

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