Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life

I long while ago, I did a short post on the book Edison's Eve by Gaby wood. I didn't say much about it, other than it was a good book. Having reread it recently, I wanted to a say a bit more. You can expect a full review in the coming months.

The book is framed around a central question: what is it that makes us human and how do representations of humans in some animated form challenge us to return to that question again and again. Against the backdrop of this framework, Wood examines five historical subjects. Some of these deal quite specifically with automata. The chapters cover the following subjects:

1 - The Frenchman Jacques de Vaucanson and the several famous automata he created in the the 18th-century

2 - Wolfgang von Kempelen's chess-playing machine, the Turk, who beat fine chess players on several continents for decades. There is plenty of interesting stuff on Johann Nepomuk Maelzel in this chapter too.

3 - Thomas Edison's attempt to enter the toy market by incorporating his newly-developed phonograph into the body of a doll.

4 - The ground-breaking early special-effects films of Georges Méliès.

5 - The Doll family who toured with Ringling Brothers and appeared in The Wizard of Oz.

The book is very well written and the product of extensive research. I tended to prefer the chapters that dealt specifically with automata, but they are all connected in some way -- sometimes loosely and sometimes tightly. Overall, it's an educational and enjoyable read.

Here is where you can order Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life in paperback. The hardcover version is out-of-print, but easily obtained used for a similar price.

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Jacques de Vaucanson - Automaton Maker

Automates-anciens.com is a great site offering information about automata, automaton makers of old, videos, DVDs, books, and music boxes. They have translated their entire site into several languages, including English.

I posted previously about Vaucanson's Duck Automaton. They have an entire page dedicated to this innovative man.

From the Site:
Both a technician and talented watchmaker, Jacques de Vaucanson made himself famous from England to Russia from his creation of sophisticated androids. He also created inventions such as the rubber pipe, the weaving loom, and the never ending chain.

Visit automates-anciens.com to learn more about Jacques de Vaucanson.

Vaucanson's Defecating Duck Automaton

One of the earliest well known automata was The Duck by Jacques de Vaucanson, first exhibited in 1739. Vaucanson (1709 - 1782) was a French engineer credited with creating fine automata that some regard as world's first robots. He is also credited with creating the first completely automated loom.

Here is a link to a video featuring a reproduction of Vaucanson's duck automaton on YouTube. If I am not mistaken, this reproduction was made by Frédéric Vidoni for the Museum of the Automata in Grenoble, in order to pay tribute to Vaucanson.

Here is a link to an earlier post with a photo of Vaucanson's duck, showing some of the workings of the original mechanism.

More on Vaucanson and his creations can be found in these books:
* Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life
* Crescendo of the Virtuoso: Spectacle, Skill, and Self-Promotion in Paris during the Age of Revolution

The First Automata Site

I think this in one of the first automata web sites I ever found using a search engine...probably Hotbot in those days. It's still a good reference despite the fact it was last updated in 1996!

Check out Automata Galleria hosted by NYU.

Shown here is Vaucanson'a famous duck automaton. He was also known for creating flute player. You can learn more about this flute player in Le Mecanisme Du Fluteur Automate