Bøker i Cambridge Library Collection - Physical Sciences-serien

William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), was one of the most important Victorian scientists. These volumes collect together Kelvin's lectures for a wider audience. Volume 1 includes talks about the constitution of matter and basic topics in physics such as light, heat, electricity and gravity.

Sir David Brewster (1781-1868) was a Scottish physicist of international reputation. This classic biography of Sir Isaac Newton, first published in 1855, was the result of over twenty years' research, using previously unknown correspondence. Brewster's own scientific interests, particularly in optics, gave him the ability to communicate Newton's work.

First published anonymously in 1805, this book made complex ideas accessible to a non-technical readership and is credited with having influenced the young Michael Faraday. It also provides valuable insights into the gendered world of nineteenth-century education. Volume 1 covers topics including heat, light, gases, metals and carbon.

Awarded the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff (1852-1911) pioneered the field of stereochemistry (the three-dimensional analysis of chemical structures). This 1898 translation is based on the revised version of his major work, La chimie dans l'espace, and covers organic and inorganic compounds.

This 1893 publication is a central text in the work of the Nobel prize winning physicist Sir Joseph John Thomson (1858-1940). Intended as an extension of James Clerk Maxwell's Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, it documents the important shift in Thomson's thinking towards the model of the atomic electric field, a theory that would eventually lead to his discovery of the electron. In Chapter 1, Thomson documents his experiments with Faraday tubes, using them to physically demonstrate a 'molecular theory of electricity'. Chapter 2 considers the discharge of electricity through gases, Chapter 3 theories of electrostatics, and Chapters 4-6 are primarily concerned with alternating currents. In addition to providing crucial insight into Thomson's evolving theory of the atom, Recent Researches underscores his commitment to experimental physics, which offers 'all the advantages in vividness which arise from concrete qualities rather than abstract symbols'.

In 1876 the South Kensington Museum held a major international exhibition of scientific instruments and equipment, both historical and contemporary. A series of conferences in May allowed many distinguished scientists to discuss the items on display. This two-volume collection of their reports covers physics, mechanics, chemistry, biology, and earth sciences.

Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) was a hugely influential chemist, inventor, and public lecturer who is recognised as one of the first professional scientists. This 1836 memoir by his brother John Davy makes use of family and personal papers to convey Sir Humphry's character as well as his scientific achievements.

This 1769 work brings together published and unpublished letters both from and to Benjamin Franklin, which demonstrate the range of his interests. The letters show a lively transatlantic group of scientific friends and colleagues describing their experiments, interpreting each others' results, and theorizing on all aspects of the natural world.

Caroline Molesworth began to make scientific observations in the garden of her home in Cobham, Surrey in 1823, and continued until 1867. This 1880 publication, edited by the entomologist Eleanor Ormerod, summarises Molesworth's records for the period 1825-50, providing a record of use to anyone investigating long-term climate change.

The mathematician William Kingdon Clifford (1845-79) intended this work to be intelligible to non-specialists. Unfinished at his death, the book was completed by Karl Pearson and published in 1885. It explores five fundamental areas of mathematics - number, space, quantity, position and motion - delivering several original results along the way.

This 1892 publication by the mathematician Karl Pearson (1857-1936) presents a positivist account of the nature of science. Pearson claims that 'the scientific method is the sole gateway to the whole region of knowledge'. Exploring concepts such as matter, energy, space and time, the work also includes chapter summaries.

This is the 1893 English translation of the 1888 second German edition of Ernst Mach's historical and philosophical account of mechanics. Discussing the development of statics and dynamics, it was originally written to clarify physical concepts without detailed mathematical discussion, and is best known for its criticism of Newtonian concepts of time and space.

Although Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) is best known now for his work in chemistry, he was also dedicated to promoting the investigation of electricity - a topic often overlooked by his contemporaries. In this 1767 work, he explores the history of electrical study from ancient Greece to the most recent experiments.

This two-volume work from 1807 details the life and achievements of eighteenth-century British philosopher, theologian and scientist Joseph Priestley. Volume 1 includes his autobiography and important appendices concerning his philosophy, political theory and religion.

The Dutch physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was a leading figure of theoretical physics of his time and won the Nobel Prize in 1902. In this 1895 work, he looks at electromagnetic phenomena (the propagation of light) in relation to moving bodies and optics.

Charles Hutton (1737-1823) was professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy when he published this two-volume encyclopaedia in 1795-6. He aimed to cover contemporary mathematics and natural philosophy, as well as engineering. The excellent historical and biographical articles make the work a valuable record of eighteenth-century science.

Compiled by the eminent naturalist, geologist and palaeontologist Louis Agassiz (1807-73) and expanded by H. E. Strickland (1811-53), this four-volume catalogue, published between 1848 and 1854, provides an extensive list of the zoological and geological literature available just prior to the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species.

William Parsons (1800-67), third Earl of Rosse, was responsible for building in 1845 the largest telescope of his time, nicknamed the 'Leviathan'. For forty years he made regular contributions to scientific journals on astronomy and other matters. This collection of his writings was edited by his son in 1926.

Sir James Prescott Joule (1818-1889) was one of the most significant physicists of the nineteenth century. His experimental work on heat and energy contributed to the discovery of the first law of thermodynamics. This collection of his papers was published in 1885-1887 by the Physical Society of London.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was one of the most influential physicists of the nineteenth century. This work of 1881, based on his lectures, was intended to complement his Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism (1873), to provide less mathematical students with an understanding of fundamental concepts regarding electricity.

John Playfair (1748-1819) was a Scottish mathematician and geologist best known for his defence of James Hutton's geological theories. This 1822 four-volume collection includes his most significant works on geological and mathematical theory, scientific biographies and reviews of English and French publications.

This history of the Royal Society from its beginnings in the seventeenth century to 1830 was originally published in 1848. Volume 1 covers the period to 1755, describing the society's origins and key moments in its development. It also contains biographies of presidents including Samuel Pepys and Isaac Newton.

Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) was an influential chemist, inventor, and public lecturer recognised as one of the first professional scientists. These volumes, first published in 1831, contain his official biography, providing fascinating insights into his life and scientific studies. Volume 1 describes his life and work until 1812.