This letterbook covers the periods October 1893-July 1894 and December 1896-January 1898. There are also a few letters for September 1894-April 1895 and for November-December 1895, as well as draft accounts for the period April 1894-April 1896. Most of the correspondence is by Edison and John F. Randolph. The letters for 1893-1894 deal primarily with Edison's finances, including the sale of stocks and bonds; the payment of money owed to Edison; and the transfer of his Menlo Park property to his daughter, Marion. There are occasional references to the impact of the ongoing depression on Edison's business operations. Included also are a few letters relating to Edison's work on the kinetograph and to the legal affairs of the various phonograph companies. Appearing on pages 46-48 are letters by Edison resigning his positions as president of the North American Phonograph Co. and vice president of the Edison United Phonograph Co.
The correspondence for 1896-1898 deals primarily with Edison's technical work. There are numerous letters relating to Edison's mining and ore milling operations in Ogden, N.J. Other letters pertain to x-rays, lamp filaments, electric meters, the phonograph, the kinetograph, and the phonoplex. There is also correspondence about Edison's stock holdings, his retainer from the General Electric Co., his financial relations with his children, the proposed sale of his Fort Myers property, and other financial matters. Some of the letters relate to personal matters, such as the celebration of Edison's fiftieth birthday by the citizens of Port Huron, Michigan, and Edison's involvement in the serial publication of "Edison's Conquest of Mars" by Garrett P. Serviss.
The label on the front cover contains the following notation: "This letter book is from October 30- 1893 to April 26- 1896 and from December 2- 1896 to- January 31- 1898." The spine is stamped "Letters" and is labeled "T.A.E. Letters from October 30-1893 To January 31 1898 Inclusive." The book contains 696 numbered pages and an index. Approximately 25 percent of the book has been selected. Related documents for this time period can be found in LB-058 and LB-060 through LB-063. Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.