Thomas Edison Typed Letter Signed. One page, 8.5" x 11", Orange, New Jersey; March 24, 1913. Addressed to J. G. MacVicar of The Montclair Academy on From the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison letterhead. He writes that he must decline an invitation to speak at the Academy, partly due to his busy schedule, but also because the inventor rarely agreed to speak in public. It reads in part: "…While I fully appreciate your kind invitation, and the privilege extended, let me say that I never speak in public under any circumstances, and I cannot see the slightest possibility of my being able to get away to pay a visit to your Academy this Spring. Ever since last Summer I have been working night and day on some important problems, and at this time do not se any immediate prospect of relief, so far as my time is concerned." Signed, "Thos A Edison." Edison’s disinclination for public speaking was well known in his lifetime. He attributed it to his deafness and stage fright. Condition: Corners creased. Pencil notation on verso. Smoothed folds. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved