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The 399 books in this group cover the period April 1903-December 1914, although there are several books with entries from as late as 1917. They were used by Edison employees, including Alvin D. Caskey, Ignacy Goldstein, Walter E. Holland, George H. Hooper, Jr., and Joseph W. Valentine, to record endurance and efficiency tests performed on storage batteries or to record testing conditions. There are many entries initialed by Edison, as well as occasional marginal notations by him, which indicate his attention to their work. Among the cells tested are experimental and production versions of Edison types A4, A6, A8, B2, B4, and E18, along with several competitors' cells. The tests pertain to variations in cell performance under different charge and discharge conditions and according to differing compositions or constructions of cells and cell components. Labels on the front covers of some of the books contain notes by Edison regarding the importance of the data contained therein. The notebooks are arranged in four subgroups: (1) General Endurance Tests (304 books); (2) Tube Tests (58 books); (3) TAE Reports (30 books); and (4) Goldstein Nickel Hydrate Books (7 books).
A sample from fourteen books in the first subgroup has been selected. Partially selected books are indicated by a bracketed number noting the approximate percent of pages selected. The selected entries provide examples of test and report formats common to many of the books. None of the books from the other three subgroups have been selected. The information in the tube test books is similar to that found in the tube test books begun by Edison (see Notebooks by Edison and Other Experimenters). The TAE reports contain data transcribed for Edison from earlier tests. The Goldstein books relate to the preparation and use of nickel hydrate in cells. A partial overview of test results can be found in the graphs in the Cell Test Books (Miscellaneous Notebooks).