A history of electricity (the intellectual rise in electricity) from antiquity to the days of Benjamin Franklin

By Park Benjamin Jr.

Book Overview

Before the light bulb, there was wonder: rubbed amber, twitching needles, and a crackle in the air. Light begins with a spark. In A History of Electricity, Park Benjamin traces the intellectual rise of a force that reshaped the modern world, following the origins of electricity from ancient Greek science and Roman curiosities through Renaissance speculation to the organised early electrical experiments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Written with the sweep of popular science history and the discipline of a history of science book, this unabridged classic edition maps ideas as they travel: from the history of magnetism and lodestones, to Leyden jars, to the famous Benjamin Franklin experiments that brought lightning into the conversation of everyday life. Benjamin sets discoveries in their cultural moment, showing how instruments, terminology, and debate built a new branch of physics. First published in the nineteenth century, it captures the moment when electrical science became public knowledge and national pride across Europe. For casual readers it is a lively public domain science ebook of curiosity and clarity; for collectors it is a cornerstone volume in the literature of scientific progress. It also serves neatly as a history of physics course companion and a science teacher resource, spanning antiquity to 18th century thought without losing the human drama of enquiry. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9389265681
• ISBN13: 9789389265682
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 618 Pages
• Weight: 1.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"