The Correspondence of Michael Faraday, Volume 3: 1841-1848 PDF

Introduction

The 812 letters in this volume, of which nearly three quarters are published for the first time, reflect both change and continuity in Faraday's life from 1841 to 1848, that is between the ages of 49 and 57. Faraday continued to be a member of the Sandemanian Church and to work for the Royal Institution, but his role changed in both institutions. The consequences of the illness which he had suffered in 1839 remained with him during the whole of the 1840s. In his science, the quantity of his original research was markedly lower between 1841 and 1844 compared to what it had been in the 1830s. Yet following his discoveries of the magneto-optical effect and of diamagnetism in late 1845, he was able to resume his scientific investigations with almost as much energy as he had displayed in the previous decade. He continued working for the state and its agencies, including the East India Company. He may have even devoted more time to this, especially in the early 1840s, than he had spent during the 1830s. Among other activities he conducted the inquiry into the Haswell Colliery explosion for the Home Office, and continued to provide a great deal of scientific advice to Trinity House.

Author

Frank A. James