Genius at Work: Images of Alexander Graham Bell

Nancy McGregor was a freelance reviewer living in Toronto.

In 1885 inventor Alexander Graham Bell paid his first visit to the town of Baddeck, on Cape Breton Island. It was love at first sight and a love to last; he later returned to build a home (Beinn Bhreagh) where he summered and worked for the rest of his life.

Almost 100 years later author Dorothy Harley Eber arrived in Baddeck in search of a country home and found much more than she had bargained for. Visiting the local Bell Museum and Historic Park and chatting with the friendly townspeople, she soon became aware of the significance of Bell’s activities at Baddeck and of his place of importance in the area’s history. Unexpectedly, Eber had uncovered a fascinating subject for a new book.

By the time of his arrival in Nova Scotia Alexander Graham Bell had gained world renown as the creator of the telephone (1876). He never lost his interest in scientific discovery and invention, and much of his remaining life’s work was to be carried out in his Baddeck laboratory. There he investigated such diverse subjects as sheep-breeding, deafness, and birth control; constructed a forerunner of the iron lung and created the world’s first space frame; flew kites and experimented widely on the uses of the hydrofoil. Throughout the years he was assisted by family members and local residents, for whom his laboratory provided much-needed employment.

While utilizing the extensive AG. Bell papers, including family letters, journals and diaries, the author has drawn equally upon the memories of those still living who knew and worked with the Bells first hand. The result is oral history at its best. The reader is presented with a captivating picture of the inventor and his family both at work and play and, more generally, with still vivid impressions of life in rural Cape Breton during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Much of the charm of Genius at Work lies in its inclusion of numerous photos of the Bell family and friends. Taken for the most part from the Gilbert H. Grosvenor Collection of Alexander Graham Bell Photographs, they delightfully portray a time and way of life now long gone.

The author has included reference notes and a useful bibliography. Of particular interest is the prologue, based on a 1978 interview with Buckminster Fuller.

Written in a lively and clear style with humour and obvious affection, this is a book that will appeal to readers of all ages.