Review
"...an excellent book (bound in two handy volumes) which will be of great value for all future studies of nineteenth-century physical science." Nature
"...a unique insight into Kelvin's and Stokes's work and into texture of Victorian scientific life...Besides abundant materials on the strictly scientific work of Kelvin and Stokes, their letters provide an unusually detailed look at the inner workings of British scientific institutions during a period of profound change." Science
Product Description
G. G. Stokes and Lord Kelvin helped bring about conceptual and institutional changes that transformed the science of physics. Indeed, they and their Victorian colleagues constituted one of the most significant groups of scientists in the whole history of science. This collection of letters provides, therefore, Invaluable insight and information for a period of major historical importance. Stokes and Kelvin corresponded for over fifty years as professors in Cambridge and Glasgow, respectively, thus amassing what is easily the largest extant correspondence between two Victorian physicists. The letters range widely over the people, ideas, and institutions of the age. They illuminate the histories of Cambridge and Glasgow Universities and the Royal Society of London, for example, as well as developments in electromagnetism, hydrodynamics, elasticity, optics, and X-rays. This collection is a primary resource for historians, physicists, and any others who are seriously interested in Victorian science or the history of physics. The editor’s introduction describes the context of the careers of Stokes and Kelvin, while guiding the reader into their correspondence. The edition is well annotated and thoroughly indexed.
