by David Bodanis (Author)
For centuries, electricity was viewed as little more than a curious property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Then, in the 1790s, Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that ignited an explosion of knowledge and invention, transforming our world. The force that once seemed inconsequential was revealed to be responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. A superb storyteller, Bodanis weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through lucid accounts of scientific breakthrough. The great discoverers come to life in all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy, including the visionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices of the British class system, and Alexander Graham Bell, driven to invent by his love for a young deaf student. From the cold waters of the Atlantic, to the streets of Hamburg during a World War II firestorm and the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery by a master science writer.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Edition: New e.
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 19 Jan 2006
ISBN 10: 0349117667
ISBN 13: 9780349117669
Book Overview: * On-going author PR activity * Review coverage in the national press * Reading copies available
Prizes: Winner of Royal Society Prize for Science Books: General Prize 2006. Shortlisted for Aventis General Prize for Science Books 2006.