Customer Reviews

The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

+++++

Who wrote these poetic lines?

"Trust me spring is very near,
All the buds are swelling;
All the glory of the year
In those buds is dwelling."

The obvious answer is some famous poet. Right? Wrong! These are the lines in a poem written by a forgotten icon in science named James Clerk Maxwell (1831 to 1879). Learning that this great scientist was also a poet is just one of the facts you'll find in this extremely well organized, well-written, easy-to-read book authored by former engineer Basil Mahon.

Even before plunging into the main narrative, I was impressed with the material beforehand.

Take the table of contents. At a glance, I can tell you what happened anytime in Maxwell's life. For example, what happened between 1856 and 1860. I just have to glance at the table of contents. For chapter 6, it has the title "Saturn and Statistics: Aberdeen 1856-1860." (Saturn is the sixth planet in our solar system.)

There is also a "chronology" that lists the "principle events in Maxwell's life." For instance, what significant event occurred in 1858? Answer at a glance: Maxwell was awarded the Adams' Prize for his essay "On the Stability of the Motion of Saturn's Rings."

As well, there is a "cast of characters." That is, a summary outline of "Maxwell's relations and close friends" found throughout the book. For example, who was William Thompson (later Baron Kelvin)? Answer at a glance: He was a friend (and mentor of the early stages of Maxwell's career) and Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University.

In his main narrative, Mahon tells us everything about Maxwell beginning with his early years and ending with his early death. We learn about his world-shaking scientific discoveries as well as about the man himself. With regards to this entire book, the publication "Nature" said it best:

"not merely an absorbing account of Maxwell's life [but] an explanation of why his work is at the foundation of the modern world."

Mahon's main narrative shines with his last two chapters entitled "Last days" and "Maxwell's legacy" respectively.

In the former case, we learn the actual words of a doctor treating him for his medical condition: "No man ever met death more consciously or more calmly." (This is another bonus of Mahon's book in that he punctuates it with the actual words used by those who knew Maxwell or uses Maxwell's actual words.)

In the latter case, we learn of Maxwell's extensive legacy. His achievements are too numerous to list but perhaps Einstein said it best:

"One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell."

There are more than twenty black-and-white illustrations located in the center of this book. I found these interesting.

You don't have to be a science wiz to read this book. However, it would be helpful to have some basic science background or have access to a good science dictionary if you want to fully understand the science parts of this book.

Once you've finished reading the main narrative of this book, that's it. Well, no. The Notes gives some interesting information that did not make into the main narrative.

Finally, I was surprised by two things:

(1) Mahon did not mention the curious coincidence that the year in which Maxwell died (1879), was the same year that Einstein was born.
(2) There was an electromagnetic unit named after Maxwell called, appropriately, the "maxwell" (symbol: Mx). It has been recently replaced by another name.

In conclusion, this is a fascinating book that gives us insight into a neglected scientific icon. I'm glad this book gave me the opportunity to know a little about James Clerk Maxwell!!

(first published 2003; list of illustrations; preface; acknowledgements; chronology; cast of characters; introduction; 12 chapters; main narrative 185 pages; notes; bibliography; index)

+++++

It is amazing that such a pivotal figure in physics remains relatively unknown to the public at large. I even asked a British friend of mine -- who actually went to Cambridge -- if he knew who James Clerk Maxwell was. He hadn't the foggiest.

So it's a shame that this narrow biography (barely 190 pages of actual content -- excluding end-notes, etc.) does not deliver a more compelling picture of both the man and the scientist.

A good biographer must do more than collect a series of chronological facts and array them in a sensible order; he must know how to tell a story. A science biographer has an even more daunting task -- he must tell the story of his subject while at the same time unraveling the wonder of scientific discovery. Mahon fails at both of these.

Mahon's style is factual and competent, but he fails to convey any essence of the man himself. Who was James Clerk Maxwell? I know where he lived, where he taught, and what he did, but I have no greater insight whatsoever into what drove the man. What were his hopes, fears, ambitions?

While it is possible that there was not enough historical source material to paint this picture, I highly doubt it. A prolific letter writer (by Mahon's own account), I would have appreciated far more quotes from Maxwell's own writings (both private and published). Anything -- realy -- to give greater insight into the man.

Pehraps equally disappointing is the limited play that Mahon gives Maxwell's science. While he does provide a cursory view of some of Maxwell's greatest achievements, I believe he does not go deep enough. I admit that the topic of electromagentic field theory is complex, but a greater effort shoud have been made to explain how important this development was to the development of modern field theory. Oddly, Mahon spends time explaining Maxwell's equations (i.e., the meaning of the terms), but is not able to truly convey their beauty or importance to the layman. More importantly, Mahon fails to demonstrate exactly why the subject of his biography lives up to the book's title "The Man Who Changed Everything."

In many ways, James Clerk Maxwell's fame seems inversely proportional to his influence on the historical development of modern physics. So it's regrettable that it has been left to Mahon to write the modern biography of such a great man.

Maxwell was a man for all times; unassuming till the end, but always striving to research something, to help others, to understand nature and technology. There is no telling what other gems he might have uncovered if he had not died relatively young.

The book does not mention Oliver Heaviside and other "maxwellians" who further interpreted and cleaned up his equations (from the nightmare quarternion to the practical vector spaces), but it is a tribute to his genius nonetheless. I enjoyed every page.

When I started reading this book, I have seen something similar to the history of one of the greatest mathematicians, Euler.
Euler and Maxwell were probably similar in several ways, they were true genius but still kept in contact with normal people and enjoyed life. Their fame is not proportional to their contributions, Maxwell and Euler are in the same category as men like Einstein, Newton, Da Vinci.

Basil Mahon has done a great job of telling Maxwell life and presenting his contributions to science in a way that a lay person can understand. The great thing is that he presents the methods or models used by Maxwell to reach his conclusions. It makes easier for us to understand the thought process of a genius.

Clearly Basil Mahon admired his subject, and by extension the reader will get involved.

Ever wonder what the rings of Saturn were made of and how they are stable? Maxwell made his prediction in 1859, (for added emphasis 1859!!!!) and was completely right! The Man Who Changed Everything is an excellent book if you are interested. It details the life of James Clerk Maxwell, perhaps one of the most important scientists of the 19th century, yet almost completely unknown. Most importantly Maxwell unified the theories of electricity and magnetism; he also advanced Kinetic gas theory, took the first color photograph, developed ways to analyze stress in a structure, and even laid the foundations of cybernetics. The book's style is easy to read but in depth both in detail and Maxwell's theories. I would highly recommend this book to someone with an interest in physics or anyone willing to learn about one of the greatest minds in science.

Unlike most science-related books, there were only a few pages within this biography that dealt with diagrams and equations. the majority of the novel consisted of stunning information regarding the life and mind of James Clerk Maxwell, who is often forgotten by the general public in favor of more prolific figures such as Joule and Farraday.

Although I'll go as far to admit that as a high schooler, this type of literature is not my favorite, I was surprised to find that this book captivated by imagination and allowed insight not just into the work but into the mind of Maxwell. For research purposes, this book contains a very useful index for efficient and easy fact-finding. Furthermore, the technical diagrams and equations were explained very well, and with sufficient time and patience could be understood.

Most amazing was Maxwell's life and career. His early entry into science and math (age 16) is both awesome and inspiring. Basil Mahon brings Maxwell's achievement into plain view with ease and language and an interesting style of writing so rarely found in science books today.

For those of us hooked on science biographies, Mr. Mahon's take on Maxwell is an engaging work. The author weaves autobiographical detail smoothly into a story of critically important scientific discoveries (field theory, color theory). Like Kepler and Galileo before him, Maxwell saw no contradiction between science and faith. And while he was respected in his day, many of his most important theories were not proven until long after his death. Einstein credited Maxwell with laying the groundwork for his own seminal work.

The scientific accomplishments of James Clerk Maxwell are astounding! To think that he was able to accomplish so much in electromagnetism, optics, thermodynamics, etc., in so short a life boggles the mind. This biography is well done. The writing is clear and engaging. The various scientific explanations give a good indication of how Maxwell the scientist approached and solved physical problems. His charming personality and his wittiness stand out to give one a good overall impression of Maxwell the man. Notes at the end of the book provide added information on some issues discussed in the main text. Complete with an index and a bibliography, this book should be read by anyone interested in knowing more about one of the greatest, yet less known, all-time giants of the scientific world.

I've always been interested in the lives of people who has contribute in any way to science. When you read this book you learn the life of Maxwell, you learn how Maxwell solved difficult problems and also Maxwell teach you lessons of life.

It is curious to me how people can see things that others not, and it is interesting that most of the greatest "brains" of all times come from this island, Great Britain.

Lots of people say that they know about the Electromagnetic theory but few really understand what's behind. I just want to learn more about it.

James Maxwell was a phenomenal, and perhaps underappreciated, scientist, and a wonderful person. Basil Mahon, who obviously loves Maxwell, has done a wonderful job of summarizing his life. Biographers of such prodigies have to avoid deluging their readers with too many details on the one hand, but on the other hand they have to avoid being so brief that their subject ultimately remains elusive to their readers.

Mahon has done a masterfully dealt with this dilemna. By going through the more important stations in Maxwell's life, but always providing more detailed sources in the appendix, often with insightful critiques of these articles, he has opened a doorway to understanding the Maxwell's life and works. If you are looking for a good biography of Maxwell, or simply just a good book to stimulate your interest in science, for you or your children, I highly recommend this book.

"He achieved greatness unequalled." -- Max Planck