Edison as I know him, by Henry Ford, in collaboration with Samuel Crowther.

EDISON As I KNOW HIM

business life. His method of work would upset
the system of any office. He was just as likely
to be at work in his laboratory at midnight as
at midday. He cared not for the hours of the
day or the days of the week. If he were exhausted
he might more likely be asleep in the middle of
the day than in the middle of the night, as most
of his work in the way of inventions was done
at night. I used to run his office on as close to
business methods as my experience admitted; and
I would get at him whenever it suited his convenience.
"Sometimes he would not go over his mail for
days at a time; but other times he would go regularly to his office in the morning. At other times
my engagements used to be with him to go over
his business affairs at Menlo Park at night, if I
were occupied in New York during the day.
"In fact, as a matter of convenience I used
more often to get at him at night, as it left my
days free to transact his affairs, and enabled me,
probably at a midnight luncheon, to get a few
minutes of his time to look over his correspondence and get his directions as to what I should
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