The Story of Electricity
John Munro
Read by Ruth Golding
In the book's preface, the author writes: "Let anyone stop to consider how he individually would be affected if all electrical service were suddenly to cease, and he cannot fail to appreciate the claims of electricity to attentive study."
In these days when we take for granted all kinds of technology - communications, entertainment, medical, military, industrial and domestic - it is interesting to learn what progress had been made in the fields of electricity and technology by the beginning of the 20th century.
Including the dawn of hydro-electric power, the x-ray, the phonograph, the telephone and the wireless telegraph, this book explains the pioneering work of the men who made our modern world possible, and sets us wondering what the next century may bring - providing that we do not manage to destroy our planet in the meantime.
The Gutenberg text of the 1915 edition (as recorded) does not have the benefit of the book's many diagrams. Also available, however, is an online book scan of the 1912 edition which includes the illustrations and coincides largely with the text recorded. (Summary by Ruth Golding) (6 hr 27 min)
Chapters
01 - Preface; Chapter I: The Electricity of Friction | 34:04 | Read by Ruth Golding |
02 - Chapter II: The Electricity of Chemistry | 25:17 | Read by Ruth Golding |
03 - Chapter III: The Electricity of Heat | 8:12 | Read by Ruth Golding |
04 - Chapter IV: The Electricity of Magnetism | 46:55 | Read by Ruth Golding |
05 - Chapter V: Electrolysis | 14:20 | Read by Ruth Golding |
06 - Chapter VI: The Telegraph and Telephone | 52:36 | Read by Ruth Golding |
07 - Chapter VII: Electric Light and Heat | 21:42 | Read by Ruth Golding |
08 - Chapter VIII: Electric Power | 33:40 | Read by Ruth Golding |
09 - Chapter IX: Minor Uses of Electricity | 49:42 | Read by Ruth Golding |
10 - Chapter X: The Wireless Telegraph | 27:57 | Read by Ruth Golding |
11 - Chapter XI: Electro-Chemistry and Electro-Metallurgy | 31:35 | Read by Ruth Golding |
12 - Chapter XII: Electric Trains | 23:22 | Read by Ruth Golding |
13 - Appendix | 18:15 | Read by Ruth Golding |
Reviews
Bill
Great reader! Fun stuff we take for granted today or have surpassed 100 fold with todays technology. This was written before solid state was even possible. Phones, record players, tungsten filiment lighting, and radio was still in their infancy but cutting edge technology. Interesting to listen how most of those ground breaking ideas took so long to take hold and make it into main stream life. Today everyone wants the newest and best and wants it now.
the story of electricity
red zed
one of the few books able to show the growth of the modern world from an engineers perspective of 100 years ago - wonderful stuff and well read
electricity
Kartar Singh
it is interesting to about electricity.In this time electricity is important to all people. Without electricity we can not do anything , electricity use in our house, industry etc
Interesting History
Tim Francisco
The reader does a wonderful job with this somewhat technical history of electricity. It's fun to hear the excitement that the author had about electricity
this is an amazing book. I love you!
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