Product Description
Experimental Researches in Electricity, Volume 1 is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Michael Faraday is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Michael Faraday then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Free version from Public Domain is the best version to get 'for the money'.
The $2.99 version from Amazon is essentially the same as the free ($0.00) version from publisher 'Public Domain Books' and both have much better formatting than the Einstein Books version which is $0.99.I'm not sure, but it seems that I got both the $2.99 version and the $0.00 version at the same time from Amazon - even though I paid for the $2.99 version.So try to get the free one first since it's formatting is just as good.

(Update after posting review) In fact this review shows up on both of the versions from Amazon - so I got both together. ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Faraday was one of the most gifted and intuitive experimentalists the world has ever seen. Born into poverty in 1791 and trained as a bookbinder, Faraday rose through the ranks of the scientific elite even though, at the time, science was restricted to the wealthy or well-connected. During a career that spanned more than four decades, Faraday laid the groundwork of our technological society-notably, inventing the electric generator and electric motor. He also developed theories about space, force, and light that Einstein called the "greatest alteration . . . in our conception of the structure of reality since the foundation of theoretical physics by Newton."The Electric Life of Michael Faraday dramatizes Faraday's passion for understanding the dynamics of nature. He manned the barricades against superstition and pseudoscience, and pressed for a scientifically literate populace years before science had been deemed worthy of common study. A friend of Charles Dickens and an inspiration to Thomas Edison, the deeply religious Faraday sought no financial gain from his discoveries, content to reveal God's presence through the design of nature. In The Electric Life of Michael Faraday, Alan Hirshfeld presents a portrait of an icon of science, making Faraday's most significant discoveries about electricity and magnetism readily understandable, and presenting his momentous contributions to the modern world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Life of Faraday
The author does a good job explaining the scientific contributions to the lay public; however I found the book a bit thin
on certain subjects.The author should have devoted a little more attention to Faraday's family life.No mention of any children for example.Also he could have gone more into the greater interdisciplinary cross over between physics and chemistry then as opposed to now.Has science lost out in this respect?He should have devoted more attention to Maxwell's contribution with a printing of Maxwell's four equations, one of which is named for Faraday and another of which is attributed to Ampere but was modified by Maxwell to give the breakthrough that it then described light and photonics.Finally and most importantly it is still a mystery that someone without a university degree and professorship could have a scientific career at all much less emerge as a major scientist.Again has science lost out today?This subject with a catalog of those who did it deserves a second scholarly book.Why then and not now?

Inspiring and Very Well Written

I really enjoyed reading "The Electric Life of Michael Faraday". Alan Hirshfeld has done a very good job of acquiring the facts of the works of Faraday, their current significance/relevance and inserted them into a very well written biography. To keep it interesting, informative and accurate is a tough ask and Hirshfeld has done a fine job of accomplishing the same. More importantly, it helped rekindle my own interest in a lot of aspects of science and experimentation which seem to have been lost over the years. I would definitely recommend this book.

The best science biography I've ever read
Alan Hirshfeld balanced events from Faraday's personal life with his scientific discoveries. No silly details. Faraday's life makes a great story and doesn't need any padding. I would like to see this author take on the life of Benjamin Thompson, a.k.a. Count Rumford.

Excellent Read
This book takes you through the journey of Michael Faraday and his impact on the scientific community.A very enjoyable read.

The Electric Life of Michael Faraday

This is an accessible introduction to Faraday's comprehensive experiments in chemistry, electricity and electromagnetism. The narrative is biographical and includes useful mention of Humphry Davy at the start of Faraday's career and James Clerk Maxwell at the end. ... Read more

Product Description
Ludwig retells Michael Faraday's remarkable life story in fictionalized form, presenting the man who invented the electric motor, the dynamo, the transformer, and the generator, as well as a deeply committed Christian who was determined to live by the Sermon on the Mount. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Faraday's Faith / Ludwig's Style
A remarkable and memorable book! An A+. A 10. I ran across a copy at the Santa Barbara library's donated books for sale shelves and liked the "look" of the book.The size and the "heft", too. I bought it with other books mostly to support the library selling it, :-) but when I got home, I started to read it. It is an amazing read. Mr. Ludwig's style is surprising, different and intriguing. Mr. Ludwig's outlook on Michael Faraday's life and how and why he accomplished what he did, combined in that style, made the unprepossessing book quite a read!I read the whole thing right then and there and found it an amazing reading experience. The envisioning and portraying by Mr. Ludwig of Michael Faraday and Faraday's life, world, era, and beliefs is very, very, special. The overall "portrait" is unforgettable. I do not see this as just a child's or student's book. I see it as an inspiration. I plan to give copies to thoughtful friends and family.Read it. Judge for yourself and pass it on. Highly recommended.

A fairly average biography
Based on the glowing review above, I ordered this book hoping to assign it for summer reading for 10th graders who will be studying electricity and magnetism next year.Unfortunately, like many biographies written for high schoolers, the book is clumsily written and fairly boring.Parts of it are written like a fictionalized account, and parts like a biography, with quotes from Faraday's letters.There is little sense of Faraday's experimental method, which is arguably the most interesting aspect of his career.Overall, I'm afraid reading this book would decrease, rather than increase, the students' interest in the subject.So I'm still looking for a good biography of Faraday...

BETTER THAN IMAGINED!
I ordered this book after hearing a radio drama, based on the book and presented in 15-minutes-a-day segments. I found it fascinating and inspiring, because I share Michael's love of science and a deep, livingChristian faith.True to life in those times, with lots of interestingevents which clearly illustrate the character of Faraday and those aroundhim, the story is written to appeal to any age reader. As an electronicsprofessional I did not find the writng at all childish, yet it is an easyread and contains some humor as well. One can feel Michael's pain as hefaces the obstacles, applaud his persistence and humility, and share hisexuberance as his dreams were finally realized. Mr. Ludwig's balancedtreatment of Faraday's life provides insights into many aspects of theLondon of his time, as well as detailed descriptions of Michael'sexperiments. Manyprominent scientists and their discoveries are mentionedin the book, and a two-page bibliography is included at the end. This shortpublication could be used as a starting point for researching a larger,more detailed treatise.Every high school student and adult should readthis book. Thank you, Charles Ludwig and Amazon,for this appealingbiography of Michael Farady.

i disliked this book.
i was appaled to think that someone who was born in that period of time could actually interest the likes of the people now, it was not only boring but i wish what i had read would have been more sightful into hisexperiments than his life! ... Read more

Product Description
Presents a newly illustrated edition of Faraday's six classic lectures that provide an introduction to the principles of combustion. Includes twenty-two experiments that demonstrate the argument of the lectures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A "must have" book in your Amateur Science Collection.
Michael Faraday has been a hero of mine since childhood. When I found this book as an adult I wished that I had found it as a kid during my "experiment" phase. All 22 of these chemistry experiments areeasily (and safely) within reach of the average kid under adultsupervision. This book also connects you directly with history through theverbatim recording of his so called "Christmas" lectures foryoungsters that Faraday presented at the Royal Institution. The 22experiments were added by the publisher to augment the six lectures. WhileI haven't done each one they are well written and each looks like it willwork the first time. I can't recommend this book highly enough -- it shouldbe in every school library and on every girl and boy's book shelf! ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Faraday has become renowned as the discoverer of such phenomena as electromagnetic rotation, electromagnetic induction and the laws of electrochemistry. Moreover, his theoretical insights provided the basis for field theory. This book locates Faraday and his science in the context of the Sandemanians, an obscure Christian fundamentalist sect to which he belonged. After outlining the history of the sect, Faraday's social and political views, including his attitude to the scientific community, are shown to derive from the Sandemanian social philosophy. Likewise, his profoundly religious understanding of nature is seen as permeating many aspects of his science. Geoffrey Cantor is also the author of "Optics after Newton" and co-editor of "Companion to the History of Modern Science". ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the son of a blacksmith, described his education as "little more than the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic at a common day-school." Yet from such basics, he became one of the most prolific and wide-ranging experimental scientists who ever lived. As a bookbinder's apprentice with a voracious appetite for learning, he read every book he got his hands on. In 1812 he attended a series of chemistry lectures by Sir Humphry Davy at London's prestigious Royal Institution. He took copious and careful notes, and, in the hopes of landing a scientific job, bound them and sent them to the lecturer. Davy was impressed enough to hire the 21-year-old as a laboratory assistant.

In his first decade at the Institution, Faraday discovered benzene, isobutylene, and two chlorides of carbon. But despite these and other accomplishments in chemistry, he is chiefly remembered for his work in physics. In 1831 he proved that magnetism could generate an electric current, thereby establishing the field of electromagnetism and leading to the invention of the dynamo. In addition to his extraordinary scientific activities, Faraday was a leader in his church, whose faith and wish to serve guided him throughout his career. An engaging public speaker, he gave popular lectures on scientific subjects, and helped found a tradition of scientific education for children and laypeople that continues to this day.

Oxford Portraits in Science is an ongoing series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Accessible and accurate portrait
The book is easy-to-read and does both Faraday's life and his career justice.The reason for this all too rare balance and accuracy is almost certainly because of the fact that both the book's author Colin A. Russell and its editor Owen Gingerich are recognized and well-respected religion and science scholars as well as eminent scientists (Russell a well-respected chemist, Gingerich an astronomer).

FARADAY THE GREAT
APPROX 60 YEARS AGO,MY LATE MOTHER GAVE ME A MAGAZINE OR BOYS ADVENTURE BOOK ,AND I WAS ABSORBED BY THE STORY OF MICHAEL FARADAY;THIS DESCRIBED HIS WORK ON ELECTROMAGNETIC FORCES.I WAS FASCINATED THEN AND AM VERY PROUD TO SAY I AM STILL FASCINATED NOW AT 70 YEARS OF AGE :I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AS A MUST READ FOR ALL--REGARDS,ALBERT ANDREWS ... Read more

Product Description
THIS 90 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Scientific Papers: Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology: V30 Harvard Classics, by Michael Faraday. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766182150. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Forces of matter by Faraday
Quick delivery.High quality product.Interesting reading.Fundamentals refresher.I am a very satisfied customer.

The Forces of Matter
This book was written for children. It gives an interesting insight into the way Michael Faraday viewed forces (or powers)as he covers his views on gravity,chemical cohesion, heat, electricty and magnetism.
You won't learn any modern science, but it is fascinating to see how science was viewed pre-1867, the date of his death. The book was apparently first published in 1910 so it must have had a relevant message even then.

Great read !
If you like history,then you will love this book! Faraday was a genius in his own time.Amazing how relevent he would be today.

An extremely intelligent book
This is very well written and the explanations are very clear.Certainly a true classic.This book will appeal to both the layman and the technically inclined. ... Read more

Product Description
Volume 1 of this collection of the letters of Michael Faraday reflects his importance in the world of 19th-century science. They cover the years 1811 to 1831 and span his discoveries of electro-magnetic rotations and electro-magnetic induction as well as his other researches and dealings with major figures of the day in the world of science such as Humphry Davy, Ampere and Herschel. Faraday also corresponded with important figures in other areas of early 19th-century society.

Also available:

The Life and Times of A.D. Blumlein - ISBN 9780852967737
The Early History of Radio: from Faraday to Marconi - ISBN 9780852968451

The Institution of Engineering and Technology is one of the world's leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. The IET publishes more than 100 new titles every year; a rich mix of books, journals and magazines with a back catalogue of more than 350 books in 18 different subject areas including:

-Power & Energy
-Renewable Energy
-Radar, Sonar & Navigation
-Electromagnetics
-Electrical Measurement
-History of Technology
-Technology Management
... Read more

Product Description
In a world of darkness perched on the edge of discovery, Michael Faraday lit up the world of science, contributed to the Industrial Revolution, and changed the lives of everyone on Earth. Now a superb new biography illuminates the life of this amazing, reclusive, deeply contradictory man.

Born in 1791, Faraday was the son of a blacksmith with a thin education, yet he was gifted with a rare intelligence and intuition. He was a devout member of a small Christian sect that believed in the Bible’s literal word, yet he was open to all that humankind could invent from earthly knowledge. He was ambitious and savvy about spreading news of his work, yet he patented nothing and received no personal gain. In short, Faraday personified all the paradoxes of the early nineteenth century, a landscape in which class, faith, and desire clashed.

As apprentice to the esteemed Humphrey Davy of the Royal Institution, he helped discover the miner’s safety lamp, which revolutionized the search for and accumulation of coal, then went on to make a landmark study of induction, the connection between electricity and magnetism, and the idea of the electromagnetic field. From electric motors to precision-made eyeglass lenses to steel razors to liquid chlorine, his inventions–often designed with self-created instruments–have become staples of civilized society, the “roots of modern life.”

While rising in society, Faraday steered clear of politics and the seamy machinations of the material world, staying obedient to a higher authority. Though disdainful of “useless passion” and devoted to his wife, he found a confidante in the bright, liberated, and flirtatious daughter of Lord Byron. Trying to reconcile his severe religion and his demanding work, he eventually suffered a mental collapse.

An acclaimed biographer of artists, James Hamilton now captures the entire fascinating story of this individual and his era. A Life of Discovery is the definitive account of a remarkable man who merged intuition and logic, prayer and deduction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

not enough knowledge on subject
Although it might sound as a very good idea, it is obviously pretty brave to write about Michael Faraday when you're not a scientist. Hamilton does complain in the editorial already to have accepted this work, and worthy enough to mention, he does not do a good job. Reading this long book you do get a lot of more or less single informations on the life of MF that taken together do not make up more than a small-minded reconstruction of whome he answered which letter when and using which tone. Pretty few notes on where science came from and what the dream of a final theory was about. Nothing at all on Maxwell and his electrodynamics, this alone is inexcusable. Nothing of course on how the theory failed already with Michelson and Morley in the late 1880's. Einstein, who admired Faraday like almost nodbody else, isn't even mentioned once. We do not get an insight into the Sandemanian sect. What we do get is pages of analysis of random photographs showing MF and others. This book has little understanding of the matter and therefore no life in it. Sorry.

A Good, Popular Biography of a Great Scientist
It is a sad fact of modern life--at least in America--that so many of the great scientific minds that helped create our modern life are forgotten.As a high school science teacher, I try to give my students some knowledge of the important figures of scientific history.Standing as one of the giants of nineteenth century science is the subject of this book, Michael Faraday.

Faraday's rise to the top of the scientific world is an interesting one.The son of a blacksmith, Faraday was apprenticed at an early age to a bookbinder.During his apprenticeship, however, he became interested in science through the popular public lectures on the subject and likely through reading some of the books he was binding.As his apprenticeship came to an end, Faraday tried to apprentice himself to a scientist and, through both hard work and good luck, attached himself to one of the most important scientists of the day, Humphrey Davy.

While working with Davy, Faraday learned the fundamentals of scientific research, demonstrating extraordinary ability as an experimentalist.In time, Faraday became his own man, achieving a place of honor at the Royal Institution where he loyally remained for the rest of his career.During that time, he made a number of important discoveries, including the basics of electromagnetism, developing the prototype of the modern electric generator among other devices that will become integral to our modern society.He also made a name for himself as a popular lecturer on science whose fame at the time could only be equaled by Charles Dickens.Through this, he made known his lifelong belief in universal scientific education for the young.Most significantly, he did this all with minimal formal schooling leaving him forever limited in some respects such as mathematical ability.

James Hamilton does a very good job of taking us through Faraday's life with depth but also in a very readable way.He brings out not only Faraday's scientific achievements but also his dedication to his strict form of Christianity (the Sandemanians) and the tension this sometime brought to his life.He showed Faraday's constant struggle against illness and his own limitations. Also, he shows something of Faraday's artistic side and how this influenced Faraday's research, most obviously in his support of the developing science/art of photography.

Though Hamilton's expertise in art gives an added dimension often missing from scientific biography, it also contributes to the two main weaknesses of this book.In general, Hamilton's explanations of Faraday's work is quite good, particularly for the general reader, but he does miss some opportunities.Most noticeably, he gives a very cursory coverage to Faraday's development of the field concept which plays such an important role in physics today.This is quite surprising considering how easily it lends itself to artistic depiction.Additionally, from his previous work it seems he has a fixation on the British landscape artist, J. Turner, and refers to him repeatedly throughout the book (particular in the latter part) whereas I could not see how this contributed in any real way to the story of Faraday.

Despite this, Hamilton has written a very good book here that will hopefully contribute to a revival in interest in this very important scientific figure, particularly here in the U.S.When I traveled to England some years ago I was surprised upon turning over a twenty pound note to see an image of Michael Faraday.Clearly Faraday still retains respect in his homeland.Scientific figures don't command that kind of respect here but Hamilton's book helps to show why they should.

A worthy book about a worthy character
One thing that delighted me about this book and about the person of Michael Faraday was the mixture of science and faith.While these two disciplines have parted ways and are no longer intertwined for many in the modern world, Michael Faraday is an intriguing example of both a devout believer and a ground breaking researcher.
Faraday's story also has immense appeal as it relates his riseout of humble beginnings on the basis of his own genius and merit, in contrast with the lingering emphasis of his time on inheirited wealth and position.
My only criticism is that the author, who evidently has written much in the realm of art history, adds a bit more content on art to this biography than seems justified.
On the whole, I recommend this book as it is a well told tale about a significant and intriguing character whose story is very much worth retelling and considering anew. ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Faraday, FRS (22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of the time) who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry.
Faraday studied the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a DC electric current, and established the basis for the electromagnetic field concept in physics. He discovered electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and laws of electrolysis. He established that magnetism could affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena. His inventions of electromagnetic rotary devices formed the foundation of electric motor technology, and it was largely due to his efforts that electricity became viable for use in technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Experimental Researches of Faraday
Quick delivery.High quality product.Interesting reading.Refresher in fundamentals.I am a very happy customer.

Faraday is a TIME TRAVEL Pioneer
Where the heck is his book on time travel?Also, why does he wear a tie while stranded on an island?This man is fascinating!

PS - The artist who painted his picture on the cover should be fired.Faraday looks nothing like that.

FARADAY ELECTRICAL PIONEER
THIS BOOK IS EXCELLANT FOR THE SERIOUS STUDENT OR EXPERIMENTOR,AS WELL AS FOR SHEER DELIGHT OF LIESURE READING;MUCH OF THIS WORK IS OBVIOUSLY SET OUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF FUTURE STUDENTS,AND SUCH STUDIES AS THE VOLTAIC PILE AND EARLY ELECTROMAGNETS,CAN BE REPRODUCED WITH EASE-I RECOMMEND THIS AS AN ABSORBING BOOK FOR ALL TO ENJOY:FARADAY THE MASTER!--REGARDS,ALBERT ANDREWS

Not His Complete Works - no Electromagnetic Induction
This is NOT Faraday's complete works, despite the implications of its title.A reprint of a 1914 publication, this is the Faraday of the chemical equivalent and the Law of Electrolysis, not the Law of Electromagnetic Induction.The price is right for the Master's own words on investigations into the equivalence of all different sorts of electricity, and his work on electrolysis and voltaic cells.In this work we get to see the reasoning and experiments of this most inquisitive man; we get to see how his discoveries were made, and how Nature slowly yielded her secrets to his simple, persistent inquiries.Here he gives us "cation" and "anion" and also destroysVolta's view of the voltaic cell as an inexhaustible power source.This work shows why chemists rank Faraday as the greatest experimental chemist of the 19th century.

Perhaps "Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity: Guide to a First Reading", by Howard J. Fisher, would be more like what a physicist would want.I have not read it myself, but I have heard from a reliable source that this is what physicists would care for.Fisher's work is published by Green Lion Press, which has published a number of other historically important scientific works.

In particular, Green Lion Publishes, in three volumes, the unabridged version of "Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity."This is what the real history maven would want.(...) ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Faraday is one of the best known scientific figures of all time. Known as the discoverer of electro-magnetic induction, the principle behind the electric generator and transformer, he has frequently been portrayed as the 'father' of electrical engineering from whence much of his popular fame derives.

This Very Short Introduction dispels the myth that Faraday was an experimental genius working alone in his basement laboratory, making fundamental discoveries that were later applied by others. Instead, it portrays Faraday as a grand theorist of the physical world profoundly influencing later physicists such as Thomson (Kelvin), Maxwell, and Einstein.

Frank A.J.L. James explores Faraday's life from his origins in eighteenth-century Westmorland and Yorkshire, his religious and scientific background, to the growth of his fame in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As well as introducing his scientific research, he also puts Faraday in the various institutional contexts in which he lived and worked, including the Royal Institution, the Royal Society, Trinity House, and other agencies of the state. James thereforeprovides a commentary on the rapidly changing place of science in nineteenth-century society, especially in regards to its role in government and the growth of a professional scientific community. ... Read more

Product Description
A self-educated man who knew no mathematics, Michael Faraday rose from errand boy to become one of Britain's greatest scientists. Faraday made the discoveries upon which most of twentieth-century technology is based and readers of this book will enjoy finding out in how many ways we are indebted to him. The story of his life speaks to us across the years and is a fascinating read, especially when the tale is told with the understanding and gusto that Professor Thomas-one of the UK's leading scientists-brings to the telling.

Faraday took great trouble to make the latest discoveries of science, his own and others', intelligible to the layman, and the tradition he fostered has been kept alive ever since, so that the Royal Institution is as well known for its contributions to education as for its research. Written in a concise, nontechnical style, Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place is a human account that provides an introduction to the roots of modern science and ways in which scientists work. The book is lavishly illustrated with drawings, cartoons, photographs, and letters-many never before published. There is no similar book on Faraday that interprets his genius in modern, everyday terms, making it understandable, interesting, and exciting reading for scientists and nonscientists alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Disappointing treatment of true genius
This is not a particularly good book. It is only readable because of the fascinating live that Michael Faraday lived. The author gives us a sense of that, but he could have used a more vigorous copy editor. And perhaps he could have refrained from filling page after page with quotations from different scientists of the day.

This is not a biography as such, more an account of Faraday's work and that of his associates at the Royal Institution and around the world. It offers some interesting historical insights, but overall it disappoints. ... for a 200-page paperback with B&W illustrations?? ... Read more

Product Description
This book offers a brief but authoritative introduction to Faraday's life, thought, and influence. It is a more complex, contextualised portrait of Faraday. The text is simply but clearly written, and is illustrated with technical drawings and reproductions of painting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Covers all the aspects of a premier scientist
Michael Faraday is generally unappreciated as a scientist, he was clearly one of the greatest of all experimental scientists. In this book, we learn the many facets of this outstanding scientist, from his popular lectures to his deep-seated religious beliefs. He was an active member of a very small religious sect called the Sandemanians, a group whose numbers have never exceeded 1000. Religion was always present in his science, his firm belief in the conservation of energy was based on the thought that God would not waste anything. Often criticized for the lack of mathematical rigor in his publications, he nevertheless made fundamental contributions to the understanding of electricity, magnetism and chemistry.
However, the most significant aspect of the book is how it takes us back to an era when scientists openly explained their results to the public. Faraday regularly delivered lectures to a public that was very interested in what he would say, and in many ways this is something that the scientific community has lost. Common wisdom is that the public is generally uninterested in scientific matters, but that is not true. If the reasons for the research are explained in a sensible manner, then the public will support it financially.
A short, yet thorough book, it is ideal for a supplemental text in a history of science course. His scientific advances are explained using non-technical language with almost no mathematics. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the greatest experimental scientists of all time, Michael Faraday (1791-1867) developed the first electric motor, electric generator, and dynamo--essentially creating the science of electrochemistry. This book, the result of six lectures he delivered at London's Royal Institution, concerns another form of energy--candlelight. Faraday titled the lectures "The Chemical History of a Candle," choosing the subject because, as he explained, "There is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play and is not touched upon [during the time a candle burns]." That statement is the foundation for a book that explores the components, function, and weight of the atmosphere; the function of a candle wick; capillary attraction; the carbon content in oxygen and living bodies; the production of carbon dioxide from coal gas and sugar; the properties of carbonic acid; respiration and its analogy to the burning of a candle; and much more. Unabridged republication of A Course of Six Lectures on the Chemical History of a Candle, originally published by Chautauqua Press, New York, n.d. New Introduction. Numerous illustrations.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

an elegant gift
This is a book printed with care and great aesthetic sense. The text is easy to understand (I swear to you, it is interesting). It convinced me that Faraday was a very good teacher, not just a great inventor and chemist. And if you read between the lines, you will see that he had a beautiful soul.
This is a great gift for any student or any curious adult.

Deceptively simple method of learning science
A man with little formal education, Michael Faraday is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time and is also regarded as the Father of electrical engineering.During the Christmas Holidays of 1860 and 1861, Michael Faraday presented a series of six lectures before a Juvenile Auditory at the Royal Institution of Great Britain.

Albert Einstein stated that he considered Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and James Clerk Maxwell as three of the most influential people in the history of science.

So what about the title of the book - "The Chemical History of a Candle".Does this mean that Michael Faraday is going to teach you how to put Yankee Candle out of business?No, but he does delve into chemical theory about how candles function, details of combustion, and how flames are categorized.He does all this with a rare enthusiasm and excitement about the often overlooked chemical nature of a so called "simple process".

Some Reverence Required
Faraday first gave a "The Chemical History of a Candle" in 1849.

Here's part of the introduction:

"And before proceeding, let me say this also: that though our subject be so great, and our intention that of treating it honestly, seriously, and philosophically, yet I mean to pass away from all those who are seniors amongst us.I claim the privilege of speaking to juveniles as a juvenile myself.I have done so on former occasions and, if you please, I shall do so again.And though I stand here with the knowledge of having the words I utter given to the world, yet that shall not deter me from speaking in the same familiar way to those whom I esteem nearest to me on this occasion.
And now, my boys and girls, I must first tell you of what candles are made..."

Lycopodium: The Lightning Of The Pantomimes
Michael Faraday was one of the most brilliant scientists in history, yet was largely self-taught. He was a modest and upright Christian, who, while he had no children of his own, particularly enjoyed lecturing to children. Many of these lectures were done at the holidays and became known as the "Christmas Lectures." The Christmas Lectures are still put on by the Royal Institution, and are now televised, by the way.

This book is an introductory treatise on the combustion of candles. If this doesn't sound interesting, think again. The book is actually a collection of transcripts of lectures given, and includes Faraday's diagrams on the experiments performed onstage. These were quite spectacular for the day, and all evidence points to him being an excellent and absorbing speaker capable of motivating people towards an interest in science. These lectures are great as they illustrate many basic chemical and physical processes and the common sense approach Faraday used to reason through difficult problems. As a prime example, please review the excellent discourse on nitrogen in lecture five.

Of course, given the audience these lectures were intended for, this isn't a mathematically or stoichiometry based book (largely, anyway), but is great at capturing the essence of the chemistry and physics of combustion. Some readers will be aghast at the cavalier way he treats some things (notably mercury vapor,) but much more is known now about these hazards.

One thing I really liked about the book, though some may not, is his insightful and colorful use of language: for instance, he describes capillary attraction as "the attraction of the hairs," and perhaps most colorfully, describes lycopodium as "the lightning of the pantomimes." (I have to admit that I had to look lycopodium up: it is, in fact, "any of a large genus [Lycopodium] of erect or creeping club mosses with reduced or scalelike evergreen leaves," or, "a fine yellowish flammable powder composed of lycopodium spores and used especially in pharmacy" according to my Merriam-Webster dictionary.) This language is lyrical and evocative, and I think makes the book more enjoyable, though occasionally challenging.

For an interesting introduction to the science of combustion, "The Chemical History of a Candle" is still the outstanding classic of the centuries, and I recommend it highly.

worth the effort
I enjoy reading physics texts, but I had never really enjoyed reading transcripts of lectures (in any subject).This book, however, was definitely worth the time and effort to read.

Even though most of the concepts are simple, basic physics, I still learned things.Most wonderful of all were the many times a lightbulb clicked on in my mind when I saw how simply and cleverly Faraday constructed his experiments.These guys really had it together.

Though somewhat devoid of helpful diagrams, the text of this work is often enough to give the reader a good idea of how Faraday was conducting his experiments and presentation.I think the biggest detractor is that you really have to slog through the work and use your imagination to figure out what he's describing.

My only wish is that I could have been there to see these lectures myself.Sounds like quite the demonstration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

About the discoverer of electro-magnetism
Roberta Baxer's MICHAEL FARADAY AND THE NATURE OF ELECTRICITY offers some 140 pages of biographical facts about the discoverer of electro-magnetism. Michael Faraday was born the son of a blacksmith and was apprenticed to a bookbinder at an early age, but developed a passion for science that led him to a job as a scientist's assistant. ... Read more

Product Description
Contents: Forces of Matter; Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday. On the Conservation of Force; Ice and Glaciers; by Hermann Von Helmholtz. The Wave Theory of Light; The Tides by Sir William Thomson: Lord Kelvin. The Extent of the Universe by Simon Newcomb. Geographical Evolution by Sir Archibald Geikie. ... Read more

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A biography of the English scientist who believed that one should never stop asking questions. His questions led him to discoveries concerning electricity. ... Read more

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Michael Faraday was one of the most brilliant experimental scientists of all times. Although he had no formal education, and never studied advanced mathematics, by painstaking experiments Faraday demonstrated the connection between electricity and magnetism. His invention of the electric dynamo, which made the generation of electricity possible, was the basis for all of the electronic technology that has developed since the 19th century. The electric light; electrical appliances such as washing machines, dryers, and microwave ovens; the telegraph, telephones, radio, and television; computers, and all of the thousands of uses of electricity—all of these owe their existence to Faraday’s invention. A deeply religious man, Faraday saw no conflict between his Sandemanian religion, which believed in a literal reading of the Bible, and the world of science. For Michael Faraday, the Bible was one of God’s books, and the natural world was another. He believed that by scientific study of natural laws he was studying God’s creation just as he did when he studied the Bible. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans; Publication date: 1853; Subjects: Nonmetals; Chemistry, Inorganic; Chemistry; Science; Biography ... Read more