The Chemical History of a Candle

One of the greatest experimental scientists of all time, Michael Faraday (1791-1867) essentially created the science of electrochemistry,developing the first electric motor, electric generator, and dynamo. Michael Faraday: An Electric Personality A major figure in nineteenth-century science, Michael Faraday (1791-1867) made immense contributions to the study of electricity and magnetism, discovering the laws of electromagnetic induction and electrolysis. His experiments are the foundation of subsequent electromagnetic technology. He also had a sense of humor. When the Prime Minister of England William Gladstone asked Faraday what the usefulness of electricity would be, Faraday famously replied, "Why, Sir, there is every possibility that you will soon be able to tax it!" In addition to being a great experimenter, Faraday had the gift of exposition for a popular audience, as seen in the books which Dover has reprinted, The Forces of Matter (2010), Experimental Researches in Electricity (2004), and perhaps his most famous single book for the general reader, The Chemical History of a Candle (2003). It is reliably reported that Einstein had a photograph of Faraday on the wall of his study alongside portraits of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell. In the Author's Own Words: "The world little knows how many of the thoughts and theories which have passed through the mind of a scientific investigator have been crushed in silence and secrecy by his own severe criticism and adverse examination: that in the most successful instances not a tenth of the suggestions, the hopes, the wishes, the preliminary conclusions have been realized." — Michael Faraday

LECTURE I. A CANDLE: THE FLAME-ITS SOURCES-STRUCTURE-MOBILITY-BRIGHTNESS LECTURE II. BRIGHTNESS OF THE FLAME.-AIR NECESSARY FOR COMBUSTION-PRODUCTION OF WATER LECTURE III. PRODUCTS: WATER FROM THE COMBUSTION.-NATURE OF WATER.-A COMPOUND.-HYDROGEN LECTURE IV. HYDROGEN IN THE CANDLE.-BURNS INTO WATER.-THE OTHER PART OF WATER.-OXYGEN LECTURE V. OXYGEN PRESENT IN THE AIR-NATURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE.-ITS PROPERTIES.-OTHER PRODUCTS FROM THE CANDLE.-CARBONIC ACID.-ITS PROPERTIES LECTURE VI. CARBON OR CHARCOAL.-COAL-GAS.-RESPIRATION AND ITS ANALOGY TO THE BURNING OF A CANDLE.-CONCLUSION LECTURE ON PLATINUM NOTES

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Michael Faraday's celebrated series of lectures,The Chemical History of a Candle, turned into one of the most successful science books ever published and was a classic work of Victorian popular science. They also reflect how Faraday, the bookbinder's apprentice turned scientist, was a remarkable communicator of science.First published in 1861 they have remained continuously in print ever since. Covering a wide range of basic scientific knowledge, much of which still has relevance today, The Chemical History of a Candle draws out the science behind the candle flame; a familiar yet complex example of combustion, and a source of fascination as much today as it was then.Timed to mark the 150th anniversary of the first publication, Frank James presents a new edition of the lectures, which, for the first time, includes a facsimile of Faraday's original handwritten lecture notes, never before published. Including an introduction from Frank James this new edition provides the historical context and background to his lectures, and to Faraday himself.

These lectures are historical documents written in the language of their time. And yet the science hasn't gone out of date, neither it seems have the techniques for inspiring young scientists.
Popular science at its very best