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CHAPTER THREE
LIFE AND WORK EDISON'S LABORATORY.
The West Orange lab quickly became famous. The many visitors West Orange were given free access
to the lab its early years. The
impressive buildings and the "Wizard's" extravagant claims did
the rest. These groups were carefully and lavishly entertained and
. Edison was careful to
cultivate good relations with the press; was very important
to generate favorable publicity this time because needed
to attract venture capitalists the laboratory finance his
experiments. They included newspapermen,
hangers-on, the curious bystanders who had heard about the
great events the lab, and gentlemen conducting their own
experiments with Edison's approval. was the new home the "Wizard Menlo
Park," and this gave aura mystery and power. Edison was celebrity and his laboratory public
place. Although many the visitors were merely
spectators, the famous people who visited the lab, whether
royalty popular entertainers, continued generate free
publicity for Edison and his work, keeping him the public
eye. Edison's
already considerable reputation, and his carefully orchestrated
publicity campaign, attracted international attention the
new laboratory
