JF Ptak Science Books
(Oersted, Davy, Ampere, Wollaston) The Quarterly Journal of Science, Literature, and the Arts. London, John Murray, 1821, Volume X, iii,iii, 497pp, with four plates, including one map of Baffin Bay and another folding chart in the text block. Half-calf, marbled boards. The hinges on the front and rear are a little rubbed and worn. Overall, a Very Good copy. This is an ex-libris copy from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, with their motto gilt-stamped in one of the spine panels (that being the only previous owner indication), also there are two small oval rubber stamps on the front paste down and title page with the society's name. A nice copy. Very good. $600
(Oersted, Davy, Ampere, Wollaston), "On the Connexion of Electric and Magnetic Phenomena" pp 361-3, contains several paragraphs devoted to the new development of electromagnetism (which was "a new epoch in the history of physics"--Dictionary of Scientific Biography), with one or two paragraphs each of summaries of contributions by the major actors in the field, including Hans Oersted (who made the monumental discovery of the magnetic action of electricity and published in his paper "Experimenta circa efficariam cinflictus electrici in acum magneticam" in Journal für Chemie und Physik, v. 29 in 1820), Humphrey Davy (twice), Andre Ampere, and William Wollaston, The Oersted paper began a scientific revolution and appeared in Journals in French, German, and English in the same year. So in this year, 1821, the Quarterly Journal reproduced the high points of these four scientists commenting "No discovery has, for a long time, so strongly excited the attention of the philosophic world, as that of the magnetic phaenomena belonging to the Voltaic apparatus; we shall, therefore, endeavour to give our readers a short statement of what has been done in this department of scientific inquiry."
Also contained in this volume:
Richard Chenevix (1774-1830, Irish chemist), "On a New Method of Secret Writing", pp 89-101 ("a method of writing so occult as to escape detection"), including examples
Michael Faraday, "On the Vapour of Mercury at Common Temperatures",
Michael Faraday, "On the Spontaneous Evaporation of Mercury", pp 354-
Humphrey Davy, being a longish history of recent science read to the Royal Society in his function of president of that society, and of the society's role in the advancement of science, pp 380-389;
Pierre-Jean Robiquet,(1780 – 1840, French chemist who did founding work in identifying amino acids), "Observations on Aroma, being the substance of a Paper read by M. Robiquet", pp 109-117;
J.F. Daniell. "On the New Hygrometer", pp 123-144;
W.P. Allison, "Observations on the Theory which ascribes Secretion and Animal Heat to the Agency of Nerves", pp 269-282
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