Electric Universe
How Electricity Switched on the Modern World
E=mc² had ended up having such an attractive form - a simple clear mystery story, carried along through biographies - that I wanted to try that again while it was still fresh, and on a topic that had also long intrigued me: electricity.
Here's a section from the introduction, setting the scene; highlights from one of my favorite chapters, on the love story behind a world-changing invention; a look at a less lovely human being (whose failures helped seed Silicon Valley); a glance at why we perpetually hover above the ground; finally, a personal bit from the acknowledgements again.
Reviews
“Hugely impressive. No one makes complex science more fascinating and accessible – and indeed more pleasurable – than David Bodanis”
“‘David Bodanis wears his immense knowledge lightly. His crystal-clear explanations combine with a flair for narrative to provide an intriguing account of how the wonders of electricity have transformed our world.”