WHO should be greater heroes in any capitalist society, than
inventor-entrepreneurs? And who deserves that status more than the extraordinary
Edwin Land?
Second only to Edison in the number of patents he received (535), Land is
famous for two major inventions. The polariser he invented in his twenties was
the foundation for Land鈥檚 company, Polaroid.
His second claim to fame was instant photography, including the revolutionary
SX-70 camera and its 鈥渋ntegral鈥� film introduced in 1972. Like its predecessors,
SX-70 was 鈥渁bsolutely new, unexpected, surprisingly useful, emotionally
pleasing, and life-changing鈥�, says Victor McElheny in his exemplary biography
Insisting on the Impossible (Perseus, $30, ISBN 073820093). But
as McElheny demonstrates, there was considerably more to Land than inventing new
products, running a company or creating 鈥渁 whole new industry鈥�.
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As a scientist he did basic research on the 鈥渧exed question鈥� of colour
vision. As an adviser to a succession of American presidents beginning with
Eisenhower, he spearheaded the design of the U-2 reconnaissance plane and the
spy satellites that replaced it. By producing photos of missile sites in the
Soviet Union鈥斺�滺ere鈥檚 your pictures, Mr President鈥濃�擫and exerted a
much-needed restraining influence on the military build-up during the Cold
War.
This insightful, meticulously researched and exquisitely written book
transcends simple portraiture. We learn about the man, but we also learn much
about the science and process of innovation, and how they combine and manifest
themselves in the marketplace. A must-read for practising and would-be
entrepreneurs.