Basil Mahon

An engaging and involved biography of two of the most influential physicists of the modern age. One a seat-of-his-pants experimentalist, the other a careful mathematical prodigy, together they laid the foundation for all of modern physics. I especially appreciated that the book did not end with Maxwell's death, but rather continued the thread of how his ideas about electromagnetism were curated and expanded upon by others, leading ultimately to the Nobel-prizewinning work on the photoelectric effect by Einstein.… (más)

The most important physicist, I didn't really know anything about.

Times Literary Supplement editorial of 1925, preserved in Trinity College Library, sums it up by saying that Maxwell was ‘to physicists, easily the most magical figure of the nineteenth century’.

CAST OF CHARACTERS from the ebook
Maxwell’s relations and close friends


Blackburn, Hugh: Professor of Mathematics at Glasgow University, husband of Jemima.
Blackburn, Jemima (née Wedderburn): James’ cousin, daughter of Isabella Wedderburn
Butler, Henry Montagu: student friend at Cambridge, afterwards Headmaster of Harrow School and, later, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge
Campbell, Lewis: schoolfriend, afterwards Professor of Greek at St Andrews University
Campbell, Robert: younger brother of Lewis
Cay, Charles Hope: James’ cousin, son of Robert
Cay, Jane: James’ aunt, younger sister of Frances Clerk Maxwell
Cay, John: James’ uncle, elder brother of Frances Clerk Maxwell
Cay, Robert: James’ uncle, younger brother of Frances Clerk Maxwell
Cay, William Dyce: James’ cousin, son of Robert
Clerk, Sir George: James’ uncle, elder brother of John Clerk Maxwell
Clerk Maxwell, Frances (née Cay): James’ mother
Clerk Maxwell, John: James’ father
Clerk Maxwell, Katherine Mary (née Dewar): James’ wife
Dewar, Daniel: James’ father-in-law, Principal of Marischal College, Aberdeen
Dunn, Elizabeth (Lizzie) (née Cay): James’ cousin, daughter of Robert Cay
Forbes, James: friend and mentor, Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University, afterwards Principal of St Andrew’s University
Hort, Fenton John Anthony: student friend at Cambridge, afterwards a professor at Cambridge
Litchfield, Richard Buckley: student friend at Cambridge, afterwards Secretary of the London Working Men’s College
Mackenzie, Colin: James’ cousin once removed, son of Janet Mackenzie
Mackenzie, Janet (née Wedderburn): James’ cousin, daughter of Isabella Wedderburn
Monro, Cecil James: student friend at Cambridge, afterwards a frequent correspondent with James, particularly on colour vision
Pomeroy, Robert Henry: student friend at Cambridge who joined the Indian Civil Service and died in his 20s during the Indian Mutiny
Tait, Peter Guthrie: schoolfriend, afterwards Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University
Thomson, William, later Baron Kelvin of Largs: friend (and mentor in early stages of James’ career), Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University
Wedderburn, Isabella (née Clerk): James’ aunt, younger sister of John Clerk Maxwell
Wedderburn, James: James’ uncle by marriage, husband of Isabella

Note: The list shows those of Maxwell’s relations and close friends who are mentioned in the narrative, and two more who are included to explain relationships. His work colleagues and associates are not listed here, apart from Forbes, Tait and Thomson.
… (más)

I really enjoyed this book. I got my PhD in optics, and have always joked that if I get a tattoo, it'll be of Maxwell's equations, in vector calc form. I appreciated reading about where the theories came from, and what "established" science was overturned to get there. I also liked how detailed the information was about the experiments, at least in the early part of the book.

I felt the last third of the book, the people who came after Faraday and Maxwell, to be quite rushed. I would have liked more details about how we went from Maxwell's death to today. I mean, it was there, it was just quite hollow in relation to the rest of the book. Even the information about the Michaelson-Morley experiment was just a couple sentences long, and I don't think quite emphasized how important it was, or exactly why (although I know the reason) it disproved the luminiferous aether theory.

Final thing, the e-book format was disappointing. I thought I had 30% of the book left, and then it ended. The rest of the book was pictures and end notes. At least in a paper book you can tell when the book is about to end. I was just gearing up when the book was over.… (más)