Table of Contents

Preface; 1 Foundations; 2 German precision; 3 British fields; 4 Clerk Maxwell; 5 British Maxwellians; 6 Open currents; 7 Conduction of electrolytes and gases; 8 The electron theories; 9 Old principles and a new world view; Appendices 1-12

About the Author

Professor Olivier Darrigol, Equipe REHSEIS, Tour Centrale, Bureau 314, University of Paris VII - Denis Diderot, 2 place Jussieu, 75251 Paris Cedex 5, France

Reviews

... this is both a pioneering work that lays firm foundations for all further investigations in this fundamental field and one of the highest quality. ISIS ... the scholarship is detailed and impeccable. ISIS ... an important book that should stand as one of the first points of reference for anyone seeking a sound technical introduction to the history of electrodynamics in the nineteenth century. The Royal Society Notes and Records ... carefully interweaves the history of theoretical innovation with the history of the experimental work upon which the theory was founded ... The author has done an extremely impressive job in digesting and summarizing a large and often highly technical primary and secondary literature, and in telling the story in his own lucid and engaging style. The key mathematical theories of electrodynamics are dealt with in a clear and concise manner ... very useful end-of-chapter summaries. The Royal Society Notes and Records