Faraday: The Life

Faraday: The Life
James Hamilton

A major biography of Michael Faraday (1791–1867), one of the giants of 19th century science and discoverer of electricity who was at the centre of an extraordinary scientific renaissance in London.Faraday’s life was truly inspirational. Son of a Yorkshire blacksmith who moved to London in 1789, he was a self-made, self-educated man whose public life was underpinned by his devotion to a minor Christian sect (the Sandemanians) and to his wife. He was also a fine writer and brilliant lecturer.This book is a passionate exploration of his life, work and times (he was a pioneering scientific all-rounder who also experimented with electromagnetism, techniques for preserving meat and fish, optical glass, the safety lamp, and the identification of iodine as a new element).It will also tell the story of the dawn of the modern scientific age and interweave Faraday’s life with the groundbreaking work of the Royal Institution and other early scientists like Humphrey Davey, Charles Babbage, John Herschel and Mary Somerville.

FARADAY

The Life

James Hamilton

DEDICATION (#ulink_b4ca873a-6930-5ad0-acc5-973e8eea5b5c)

For my family

CONTENTS

Cover (#ud3d670ea-ca76-5b62-997d-8497a4a70241)

Title Page (#u25a0081a-e4ff-5309-9cc3-72787bce407a)

Dedication (#u4efa7c6a-22db-5b3e-9108-4b16e162c424)

Map: Michael Faraday’s London (#u18118320-3c6a-5d19-844e-6f118246d8d8)

Introduction (#u7ec69c78-c87d-5058-8f50-23f2800846f2)

Chapter 1 ‘The Progress of Genius’ (#uc6c34584-50fe-57cc-9bd8-d1b1b648bd80)

Chapter 2 Humphry Davy (#u5c6671a5-5c89-52df-b5ac-3b603017595f)

Chapter 3 A Small Explosion in Tunbridge Wells (#ubf152cf8-abf3-5511-b560-bad215ffba07)

Chapter 4 ‘The Glorious Opportunity’ (#u0fda9008-efa1-5a92-afac-3aa9f78a6501)

Chapter 5 Substance X (#ucbd77d7e-7910-5b64-bb8d-f3a74b486b4f)

Chapter 6 A Point of Light (#ud2fa64b1-4dc6-55cf-89a0-69c9a4ccf803)

Chapter 7 Mr Dance’s Kindness Claims my Gratitude (#u083f8e3f-40a9-5f50-a8c1-7fae5a281626)

Chapter 8 We have Subdued this Monster (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 The Chief of All the Band (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 A Man of Nature’s Own Forming (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 There they go! There they go! (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 Use the Right Word, my Dear (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 Fellow of the Royal Society (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 We Light up the House (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 Steadiness and Placidity (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 Facts are Such Stubborn Things (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 Crispations (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 And that one Word were Lightning … (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19 Connexions (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20 The Parable of the Rainbow (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21 Michael Faraday and the Bride of Science (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 22 Still, it may be True … (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 23 A Metallic Clatter which Effaced the Soft Wave-Wanderings (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 24 I be Utterly Unworthy … (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 25 The More I Look the Less I Know … (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 26 The Body of Knowledge is, After All, But One … (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Appendix 1: Faraday’s ‘Philosophical Miscellany’, 1809–10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Appendix 2: Declaration of Faith of Edward Barnard, 1760 (#litres_trial_promo)

Appendix 3: Memorandum to Robert Peel, 1835 (#litres_trial_promo)

Notes (#litres_trial_promo)

Bibliography (#litres_trial_promo)

Index (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)

Faraday: The Biography (#litres_trial_promo)

By the Same Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)