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Humphry Davy: Science and Power

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Humphry Davy: Science and Power
Authors and Contributors      By (author) David Knight
SeriesCambridge Science Biographies
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:236
Dimensions(mm): Height 227,Width 152
Category/GenrePopular science
ISBN/Barcode 9780521565394
ClassificationsDewey:509.2
Audience
General
Professional & Vocational
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 5 February 1998
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

In this illuminating and entertaining biography David Knight draws upon Humphry Davy's poetry, notebooks, and informal writings to introduce us to one of the first professional scientists. Davy is best remembered for his work on laughing gas, for the arc lamp, for isolating sodium and potassium, for his theory that chemical affinity is electrical, and, of course, for his safety lamp. His lectures on science made the fortunes of the Royal Institution in London, and he taught chemistry to the young Faraday. He is also recognized for his poetry and was the friend of Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Byron. By investigating Davy's life Knight shows what it was like to be a creative scientist in Regency Britain, demonstrating the development of science and its institutions during this crucial period in history.

Reviews

'... absorbing and so beautifully written ... it is indeed rare to encounter a text that at one and the same time represents a major piece of scholarship and yet is notably accessible, illuminating and entertaining.' Dr B. Dixon, New Scientist 'I highly recommend this book. Knight has vividly depicted the life and times of the greatest creative scientist in Regency Britain along with the development of science and its institutions during this crucial historical period.' George B. Kauffman, Chemistry and Industry