The implications of providing light has shaped historical eras: crude lamps and tallow candles constricted waking hours and their meagre illumination restricted daily life, oil lamps led to the crazed hunting of whales for their oil while gaslight helped to create leisure hours in the evening and allowed the emergence of vibrant street life in cities. Now as the incandescent bulb is phased out how we light our homes and workplaces will change forever. Edison s invention of the lightbulb seemed to produce light that required no human effort or cost and yet, as Jane Brox shows, the environmental cost of that system of lighting is still with us. Jane Brox brilliantly explores how the technology behind artificial light has been the catalyst for industrialisation and consumerism yet it has also led to a disconnection from the natural rhythms of the earth. In the tradition of Mark Kurlansky s Cod in its reach and scope, Brilliant is a compelling story of how human lives have been changed by light and asks timely questions about how the light of the future will continue to shape our lives. Brilliant is full of the voices of those whose lives were revolutionised by artificial light over the centuries, containing insights into how science has directed human history and will continue to do so in the future.
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Review
An illuminating study... Brox s concern for the local, the everyday, the rural and the poor gives her book a universal appeal. --Sunday Telegraph
An absorbing book about one of those technological advances, like domestic heating and running water, whose social importance has not been reflected well in popular literature. --Financial Times
Before the advent of artificial light, humans had to go to bed when the sun went down. Jane Brox traces the story of man-made brightness, and how it has changed the way we live and see forever. --Independent
An absorbing book about one of those technological advances, like domestic heating and running water, whose social importance has not been reflected well in popular literature. --Financial Times
Before the advent of artificial light, humans had to go to bed when the sun went down. Jane Brox traces the story of man-made brightness, and how it has changed the way we live and see forever. --Independent
About the Author
Jane Brox has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book especially the early chapters before the advent of electricity. It really shows us what an everyday miracle electric light is, but also reminds us that it is denying us a view of the stars. Sometimes, the book strayed into becoming a story of electricity generation rather than light. However, it is an excellent read and very illuminating. I particularly liked the parts about Lascaux.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars
21 reviews
51 of 55 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Illuminating But Not Brilliant
5 July 2010
By David M. Sherman
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Close but not brilliant. Certainly, a good portion of the book is fascinating and illuminating. When Ms. Brox allows her voice to shine through, the book is swift paced and cogently written. But, too often, Ms. Brox included long quotations, and relied too heavily on others to tell her story. On too many occasions, I felt that I was reading a college paper with sentences such as "the author notes that" followed by a lengthy quotation. Ah, but for a good editor.... These lengthy quotes were distracting. But when Ms. Brox tells the story of the social history of light in her own words, the story shines bright and clear.
I understand that including photographic plates would make the book more expensive. But, I often found myself having to consult internet sources to see the kinds of devices that are described in the book. Perhaps, some drawings or photographic plates would have allowed the reader to see clearly these early contraptions that illuminated the homes of our ancestors. (I often wondered whether Ms. Brox actually viewed some of the instruments of illumination for herself, or was she relying on secondary sources to describe the device for her.) Perhaps, too, the author could have written about the nature, physics of light. For example, though there is much discussion of the AC versus DC current, there is hardly a sentence describing the difference. I understand this was not a book about the physics of light. But, for the laymen, it would have helped to understand the rudimentary nature of that thing that illuminates our world.
On the whole, this is an enjoyable read. The subject matter (tracing the use of artificial light from prehistoric times through the present) is quite fascinating. Putting aside some of the stylistic criticism, this is an excellent book. It is both enlightening and enjoyable.
I understand that including photographic plates would make the book more expensive. But, I often found myself having to consult internet sources to see the kinds of devices that are described in the book. Perhaps, some drawings or photographic plates would have allowed the reader to see clearly these early contraptions that illuminated the homes of our ancestors. (I often wondered whether Ms. Brox actually viewed some of the instruments of illumination for herself, or was she relying on secondary sources to describe the device for her.) Perhaps, too, the author could have written about the nature, physics of light. For example, though there is much discussion of the AC versus DC current, there is hardly a sentence describing the difference. I understand this was not a book about the physics of light. But, for the laymen, it would have helped to understand the rudimentary nature of that thing that illuminates our world.
On the whole, this is an enjoyable read. The subject matter (tracing the use of artificial light from prehistoric times through the present) is quite fascinating. Putting aside some of the stylistic criticism, this is an excellent book. It is both enlightening and enjoyable.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Information interesting; writing not so great
26 Aug 2010
By E. Jacobs
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a topical history of artificial lighting from the early use of candles to current trends in electric lighting. It includes interesting information such as the roles and perceptions of early street lighting (will it encourage crime or deter it?) and the effect of artificial lighting on migration patterns in animals and sleep cycles in humans. I found the book to be a worthwhile read for this information alone.
The major problem in the book was the over-reliance on block quotes when the author could have easily paraphrased the material and referenced it. Instead, entire superfluous descriptions were cut-and-pasted into the text (though they were properly referenced). This led to major disruptions in flow, and I found myself skipping many of the quotes as they really weren't necessary to the overall story being told. I was always advised that any piece of writing should not be comprised of greater than 10-15% direct quotations. This book is a good example of why that is excellent advice.
Overall: 4 stars for information and 2 stars for writing. It's worth a read if you'd like a quick overview of lighting through history.
The major problem in the book was the over-reliance on block quotes when the author could have easily paraphrased the material and referenced it. Instead, entire superfluous descriptions were cut-and-pasted into the text (though they were properly referenced). This led to major disruptions in flow, and I found myself skipping many of the quotes as they really weren't necessary to the overall story being told. I was always advised that any piece of writing should not be comprised of greater than 10-15% direct quotations. This book is a good example of why that is excellent advice.
Overall: 4 stars for information and 2 stars for writing. It's worth a read if you'd like a quick overview of lighting through history.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Builds appreciation for every light switch
20 Dec 2010
By Melanie Archer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Your midnight fumbling for the bathroom switchplate has centuries of precedence, it turns out. Brox surveys the long history of humankind's attempts to defy darkness with technology, from fire, rush lights, caged fireflies, the phosphorescence of rotting fish, whale oil lamps, gasoliers, ending with electricity, which has proved so reliable we seem no longer able to function without it.
Her account is not without ambivalence. Whole chapters discuss how the abundance of artificial light deranges us and other living things, interfering with fundamental biological processes such as sleep and migration. She's disturbed also by how much artificial light removes us from diurnal and seasonal patterns, from even knowledge of the nonhuman world: as illustration she mentions calls placed to Los Angeles emergency services during the blackout following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The callers' worries? A strange, glittering cloud in the night sky, like dust or snowflakes...which turned out to be the Milky Way, visible for once over the darkened sprawl.
Her account is not without ambivalence. Whole chapters discuss how the abundance of artificial light deranges us and other living things, interfering with fundamental biological processes such as sleep and migration. She's disturbed also by how much artificial light removes us from diurnal and seasonal patterns, from even knowledge of the nonhuman world: as illustration she mentions calls placed to Los Angeles emergency services during the blackout following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The callers' worries? A strange, glittering cloud in the night sky, like dust or snowflakes...which turned out to be the Milky Way, visible for once over the darkened sprawl.
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