In Electric Universe, David Bodanis weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through a lucid account of the invisible force th...
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Apr 28, 2009
David
rated it: 
Quite enjoyed the way that the author showed how we stumbled across all of the principles that we take for granted today. It took many years for things like telegraph, electricity, radio, radar to be discovered and mass produced. There was lots of dead end research and lucky breaks along the way to piece together how electrons and magnets rule our modern world. It certainly wasn't clear to me from my university physics classes that the early researchers had so little idea of what they were deali
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Oct 08, 2011
Judy
rated it: 
Look I have to say that this book was way off the mark.The author lost all
his credibility as soon as I checked the index and saw that there was not a
single reference to Tesla. Not ONE. That's like writing the history of Christianity
and forgetting to mention Jesus Christ.Had it not been for Nicola Tesla the whole world would still be running of a battery. Tesla was brilliant and this guy neglects to mention
him????? No. As soon as I saw that- I knew he was going to glorify
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his credibility as soon as I checked the index and saw that there was not a
single reference to Tesla. Not ONE. That's like writing the history of Christianity
and forgetting to mention Jesus Christ.Had it not been for Nicola Tesla the whole world would still be running of a battery. Tesla was brilliant and this guy neglects to mention
him????? No. As soon as I saw that- I knew he was going to glorify
More...
Feb 25, 2011
Melanie
rated it:
I listened to this as an audio book.
Seriously, I hated this book, I only listened to it because it kept me from falling asleep while commuting. Actually, the anger I sometimes felt while listening worked pretty effectively for that. This book is intended for someone who has absolutely no understanding of science at all and has never even thought about what electricity might be. In that case, why would they start now? Perhaps I was especially disappointed because I had just listened to More...
Seriously, I hated this book, I only listened to it because it kept me from falling asleep while commuting. Actually, the anger I sometimes felt while listening worked pretty effectively for that. This book is intended for someone who has absolutely no understanding of science at all and has never even thought about what electricity might be. In that case, why would they start now? Perhaps I was especially disappointed because I had just listened to More...
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Sep 27, 2011
Wilson
rated it: 
I'm giving this three stars because what's there is pretty good, for what it is. But it's a grudging rating, for the book has one glaring, unforgivable fault.
The idea of this book is that it's meant to be a beginner's introduction to the underlying concepts of electricity: how it works and what's going on, as well as interesting stories surrounding the discoveries of those concepts.
And to that extent, it succeeds.
Purists will be upset by this book because it u More...
The idea of this book is that it's meant to be a beginner's introduction to the underlying concepts of electricity: how it works and what's going on, as well as interesting stories surrounding the discoveries of those concepts.
And to that extent, it succeeds.
Purists will be upset by this book because it u More...
Sep 19, 2010
Jenny
rated it: 
It should have been better than it was. Bodanis is not able to weave a narrative like Bryson, Dawkins or Feynman; instead the bits are broken into different parts of the book. This resulted in frequent disappointment only to learn later that I do indeed get my questions answered, well after I thought to ask them.
Also, there i not enough. Also, I didn't particularly click with his metaphors. They were not especially illuminating.
The information itself is fascinating. I More...
Also, there i not enough. Also, I didn't particularly click with his metaphors. They were not especially illuminating.
The information itself is fascinating. I More...
Aug 04, 2011
Rhonda
rated it: 
I'm crazy about this book. Listened to it on the way to California, and then listened to it again with Peter! First of all, it explains electricity in simple terms so I understood it. Second of all, he introduces you to each advance--telegraph, telephone, light bulb, etc., all the way to computers--by acquainting you with the person responsible for the discovery. Finally, when I thought the book was through and I was completely satisfied, he launches into how electricity makes our bodies wor
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Aug 11, 2011
David Bodanis writes a great history of how modern man has used electricity. He focuses more on the people behind the science and shows us that scientific pogress doesn't always advance smoothly,but more often does so in fits and starts with a lot of eccentricity and ego driving them. The part about Alan Turing is especially heartbreaking as it makes you think about how the computer era could have come much earlier if not for his unfortunate early death.if you enjoyed this you'd like his Secret
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Aug 16, 2007
Waqar
rated it:
This book charts the history of electricity from its discovery to the current day. It shows how, along the way, the understanding of the nature of electricity grew from a stream of electrons gushing through a wire to the current perception of it. For each stage, Bodanis, the author, gives amusing accounts of the lives and motivations of the scientists involved, how they furthered contemporary understanding, the related inventions and their impact on society at the time.
Bodanis' style More...
Bodanis' style More...
Jun 02, 2011
Upom
rated it:
Was not a great history of electricity. For whatever reason, Bodanis started the book with Samuel Morse's alleged theft of the telegraph from Joseph Henry, skipping over Volta, Galvani, Franklin, and various other milestones in electrical History. In general the book was rather awkwardly arranged, written in a bland manner. Though I did enjoy the re-imagining of the invention of the phone as the way to win the heart of Alexander Graham Bell's deaf lover, the book as a whole was a rather awkward
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Aug 20, 2009
Jonathan
rated it:
You can't beat good ideas for making a book interesting, this one is chock full of them, presented in an anecdotal style which is pretty readable throughout, sometimes a diagram wouldn't have hurt. The author seems to divide his inventors and improvers into good and bad and presents a list at the end that makes it appear that they led lives of happiness in proportion to their goodness or lack of it which seems slightly unlikely and also weird, but hey.
Jan 01, 2012
Frederick
rated it:
This is series of descriptions of somewhat unrelated items related to electricity. It talks about such pioneers in the science of electricity as Joseph Henry, Michale Faraday, Thomas Edison, J. J. Thomson, etc. I found the part about the first transatlantic cable the most engaging. It's amazing how little they know about electricity before they went and put in a cable all the way across the ocean.
Aug 16, 2008
Davis
rated it:
I picked this up because of the author's other book on Einstein's equation, E=MC2. This one was not as interesting. But he does briefly cover the life of Alan Turing who is considered the father of computer science. Turing laid down the theories that paved the way for the creation of the modern computer and the idea of artificial intelligence. His contribution was made well before the invention of the transistor. He was also a leading cryptographer credited with breaking the German Enigma machin
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Mar 30, 2010
Converse
rated it:
Although clearly written, this book contains a number of factual mistakes on biographical matters which seem to result from the author's desire to heighten the contrast between the good guys and the bad guys. In particular Samuel Morse was not an incompetent artist, even if in many other ways he was not my idea of an admirable human being.
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Dec 17, 2009
Jim
rated it:
Covers the history of the understanding and development of electricity with stories of different events. Personalized stories include laying the first transatlantic telegraph line, radar development during world war 2, electromagnetic understanding, etc. Fun, easy book to read. No real science discussed.
Mar 13, 2010
Janan
rated it:
A fascinating, understandable book about the ways (often surprising) that electricity, in its many permutations, rules the world. Bodanis has the ability to be selective about what he includes, to vary the pacing, change the mood and generally entertain while enlightening.
Oct 27, 2009
Greg
rated it:
I only finished this book because it was short. The anecdotal stories about the figures in the history of electricity are only marginally interesting. Bodanis doesn't explain the workings of electricity very well either. Bill Bryson wrote a similar (and better) book called A Short History of Nearly Everything.
Jul 01, 2010
Michael
rated it:
A fantastic look at the modern history of electricity, highlighting stories of the people behind the telephone, light bulb, radio, radar and more. Bodanis finishes with a look at life and how we use electricity within our own bodies.
Mar 02, 2009
Rich
rated it:
Really cool history of modernity told through breakthroughs in electricity. Also highlighted the somewhat sad ends that great innovators such as Alan Turing met. Left me with tons of fun facts for dinner parties.
Sep 23, 2008
Isaac
rated it:
You could probably find a better history of the subject than this one, although it is a very quick read and provides some interesting information. The story of how Alexander Graham Bell came to invent the telephone really is wonderful. The experiments of Heinrich Hertz are certainly worth reading about. The story of James Watson Watt inventing the radar during WWII is fascinating, and Bodanis gets credit for including a passage about the bombing of Dresden (see Slaughterhouse Five) in order t
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Dec 16, 2009
Nick
rated it:
I have mixed feelings about this book--the breezy tone struck me as condescending rather than friendly, and most of the stories Bodanis tells are familiar--Michael Faraday's struggles with class prejudice, the work of Edison, Galvani and Volta, etc. But Bodanis did teach me a few things and as I got used to his style I found it less distracting.
This is not, however, anything like a complete history of the discovery of electricity and its applications--Tesla, for example, is nowhere More...
This is not, however, anything like a complete history of the discovery of electricity and its applications--Tesla, for example, is nowhere More...
May 22, 2010
Jen
rated it:
Entertaining and very informative history of electricity, told through the eyes of those trying to figure out what exactly it was and what it could be used for. Definitely worth reading if it's something that interests you. Very, very clear explanations of a variety of electrical phenomena--including the workings of the brain (plus a ton of stuff I didn't know before!)
Sep 10, 2011
John
rated it:
About the way in which electricity has been developed. Had interesting stories and information. Not the best and most entertaining read I have come across, but I still enjoyed it. Not worth a re-read.
Mar 13, 2011
Superficial: I fully agreee with the previous review. I cannot understand how this won. Of the books in this years long list that I have read, 'Empire of the Stars' looks to be far superior to this.
Mar 09, 2009
Myke
rated it:
The personal accounts really undulated from interesting to stone cold boring. I probably would have liked a little more science at the expense of some of the personal stuff.
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Jan 18, 2011
Jim
rated it:
a good primer for the history of the development for electricity and gives a basic understanding of how electricity works.
Nov 28, 2011
Incandragon
rated it:
An appealing science book for someone interested but largely ignorant in science. It teaches the theory of electricity by giving equal time to personalities and social context. The narrator has a reassuring and soft voice, not unlike being lectured by Winnie the Pooh. I wish I'd read this when I was twelve or so.
Dec 22, 2007
Caleb
rated it:
This book, winner of the Samuel Johnson Non-Fiction prize, is a fantastic introduction to the history of electricity and the effect it has on our modern day lives.
Bodanis covers everything from electromagnetism to the Telegraph (and subsequently wireless communication), to electric lighting, computers and even how electrical impulses enables the circulation of blood within the body.
What makes this book so enjoyable, is Bodanis' real gift for explaining science in simple More...
Bodanis covers everything from electromagnetism to the Telegraph (and subsequently wireless communication), to electric lighting, computers and even how electrical impulses enables the circulation of blood within the body.
What makes this book so enjoyable, is Bodanis' real gift for explaining science in simple More...
Nov 13, 2010
Kerry
rated it:
Finally helped me to understand a lot of electricity that I never picked up in school.
Aug 05, 2011
Sanna
rated it:
Bodanis seems to have become a guarantee for entertaining popular science
Apr 15, 2008
Heather
rated it:
I read this book before I saw The Prestige and I was so glad of it. There are so many subtle things in the movie that were so much more meaningful to me, especially concerning the backgrounds of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.
It's a great read, which tells the stories of lots of people who really lived and things they really did, but it feels more like a collection of short fiction. It's a really engaging read that even people who don't normally go for nonfiction would likely enjoy More...
It's a great read, which tells the stories of lots of people who really lived and things they really did, but it feels more like a collection of short fiction. It's a really engaging read that even people who don't normally go for nonfiction would likely enjoy More...
