Nikola Tesla Books
FOREWARD Nikola Tesla is worthy of a more adequate biographer and more fortunate circumstance for compiling his life story than have been available in the preparation of the present volume. The only justification which the author can offer for assuming the responsibility of authorship, is the statement which Tesla made several years ago in patching up a little disagreement over the nature of the inventor's genius and his professed materialistic concept of life, when he said, "You understand me better than any man alive." I must, however, confess a very inadequate understanding of his many faceted personality. Had I known years ago that I would be handling the task of writing his biography I would hav、 been more careful in the preservation of material concerning his life and activities and would have made written records of conversations which I must now recall from a pleasant store of memories, but without too great certainty that the finer details are accurately remembered..
This volume has been prepared without Tesla's papers being available. Because of the fear that he may have left information about secret inventions of possible use in the war effort, all of his records and personal property have been sealed by government authorities. This situation is responsible for the many inadequacies and perhaps even inaccuracies which those who knew Tesla may find in this volume.
Such merit, or usefulness, as this book may exhibit is due largely to the aid and co-operation which I have received from many sources. Outstanding is the assistance which I have received from Tesla's nephew, Dr. Sava N. Kosanovic, Minister of State of Jugoslavia, who has given me much of his valuable time for consultation and for reading and correcting preliminay drafts of the book, and for making available books, transcripts of records, and the majority of pictures used. Appreciated ais of various kinds has been received from Miss Charlotte Musar, of the Koyal Jugoslav Information Bureau and the United Committee of South Slavic Americans.
Much valuable information and assistance has been given me by Miss Dorothy Skeritt who was Tesla's secretary for many years and miss Muriel Arbus who also served the inventor in that capacity for a few years. I am deeply indebted to George Sherff who was associated with Tesla early in the century and handled his accounts for about thirty years, and to Mr. Julius C. Czito, a mechanical engineer who for many years made models for Tesla and whose father was a member of the inventor's staff, for intimate sidelights concerning his manner of working.
Valuable co-operation has been extended to me by Mrs. Margaret C. Behrend, widow of A. B. Behrend, who made available for my reading the extensive correspondence between her husband and Tesla, and by Clemson Agricultural College, Clemson, S. C., and Dr. W. B. Earle, its Dean of Engineering, for pictures and other Tesliana, from the Behrend collection on deposit at the college.
I am indebted to Mrs. Agnes Holden, daughter of the late Robert Underwood Johnson, ambassador, and an editor of the Century Magazine, for recollections of the many visits of Tesla to her home,
