Electricity and Magnetism (Summarized Edition)
Enriched edition. An accessible, analytical guide to electricity, magnetism, their interplay, and practical uses with historical, technological insights
Published on 10. January 2026
87 pages
8596547882190 (EAN)
Description
Electricity and Magnetism, a volume in Elisha Gray's Nature's Miracles series, offers a lucid, apparatus-centered tour of charge, current, induction, and magnetic action. Interweaving historical vignettes-Volta, Faraday's lines of force, Maxwell's field picture-with plainspoken demonstrations and crisp woodcuts, Gray moves from benchtop effects to power stations. Eschewing heavy mathematics, he shows how dynamos, transformers, telegraph circuits, and early telephones enact the same field laws, exemplifying late nineteenth-century popular science at its best: empirical, practical, and democratically didactic. An accomplished electrical engineer and prolific inventor, Gray co-founded the firm that became Western Electric, created the harmonic telegraph and telautograph, and famously contested priority in the invention of the telephone. Trained at Oberlin and seasoned in shop and laboratory, he writes with a practitioner's economy and a teacher's patience, translating workshop intuitions into household-scale experiments. The book's emphasis on applications and on Faraday-Maxwell concepts betrays a life spent bridging patent office, factory floor, and lecture hall, and a desire to make the new electric age intelligible to non-specialists. Recommended to general readers, educators, and historians seeking a clear, context-rich primer that complements mathematical treatises and captures electrification at the moment it entered everyday life.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable-distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
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Persons
Elisha Gray (1835-1901) was an American electrical engineer who, during his lifetime, secured over 70 patents for his inventions. Although best known for his controversial claim to the invention of the telephone, a matter of historical debate, Gray was a respected inventor and entrepreneur in the late 19th century. His scholarly contribution to the field of electrical studies is captured in his book 'Electricity and Magnetism,' a significant work wherein Gray expounds on fundamental principles and their application in burgeoning technologies of the era. Beyond his written contributions, his profound impact on the development of electrical communication systems is reflected in his founding role at the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Gray's literary style is characteristic of the period's empirical focus, merging practical guidance with theoretical insight, thereby offering readers a comprehensive understanding of electrical phenomena. His written works, although less known than his inventions, contribute valuably to the historical corpus of science and technology literature, displaying his expertise and detailed knowledge of a field that was rapidly evolving during the industrial age. Gray's attention to both the theoretical and practical aspects of electricity and magnetism helped bridge gaps between scientific inquiry and applied science.
