Science In The Making

Volume Two of the Science in the Making Series covers the scientific advancements of the day between 1850 and 1900 as reported in the Philosophical Magazine. This period culminated with the discovery of the electron, Xrays and radioactivity. This beautifully produced volume contains facsimiles of original papers by eminent scientists including Kelvin, Foucault, Clausius, Kirchhoff, Bunsen, Rydberg, Zeeman, Maxwell, Rayleigh and JJ Thomson. Ground breaking papers include those of Michelson and Morley (the most significant negative result in the whole of physics), Clausius first mentioning entropy in his 1866 paper, Maxwell's theory of the electromagnetic nature of light, Hertz on radiowaves, Dewar's account of the liquifaction of oxygen, and JJ Thomson's discovery of the electron, and Bunsen on what we now call flame tests for salts of the alkali metals.
This volume chronicles a half a century of scientific progress, containing not only classic works but also papers of an amusing and controversial nature, reflecting the era. Papers are reproduced in their original form and are preceded by informative commentaries setting the papers in the context of their time. It includes plates of historic apparatus and portraits of celebrated scientists of the time.