Abstract

When the New York Sun reported that Thomas Edison had solved the problem of incandescent lighting, that purported invention generated immense excitement across many segments of the American population. The letters sent to Edison in the days following the September 16, 1878, story reveal the many discursive worlds that Edison's work touched on and had meaning for. They indicate how a technological accomplishment is also a multiple, complex social and communicative accomplishment, creating place and meaning for the new technology within the many discursive systems by which people assign value, identify uses, and create goals incorporating the technology. Edison's ability to connect with each of these meaning systems paved the way for the development of the technology, providing financial and social resources for Edison that his competitors did not enjoy.