The Electric Life of Michael Faraday

by Alan W. Hirshfeld

Michael Faraday was one of the most gifted and intuitive experimentalists the world has ever seen. Born into poverty in 1791 and trained as a bookbinder, Faraday rose through the ranks of the scientific elite even though, at the time, science was restricted to the wealthy or well-connected. During a career that spanned more than four decades, Faraday laid the groundwork of our technological society-notably, inventing the electric generator and electric motor. He also developed theories about space, force, and light that Einstein called the "greatest alteration . . . in our conception of the structure of reality since the foundation of theoretical physics by Newton."

The Electric Life of Michael Faraday dramatizes Faraday's passion for understanding the dynamics of nature. He manned the barricades against superstition and pseudoscience, and pressed for a scientifically literate populace years before science had been deemed worthy of common study. A friend of Charles Dickens and an inspiration to Thomas Edison, the deeply religious Faraday sought no financial gain from his discoveries, content to reveal God's presence through the design of nature. In The Electric Life of Michael Faraday , Alan Hirshfeld presents a portrait of an icon of science, making Faraday's most significant discoveries about electricity and magnetism readily understandable, and presenting his momentous contributions to the modern world.

Genres: Biography, Science, History, Nonfiction, Physics, Biography Memoir, History Of Science

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book that is almost more about Faraday’s experiments than Faraday himself. It goes through much of his experimentation in great technical detail. This would make a good read for someone with a high interest level in electromagnetism and the struggle to get to a more modern understanding of it.

I enjoyed learning about Faraday. What a classy guy! He knew his limitations and weaknesses, acknowledging them and working within them but not letting them stop him. He didn’t seek public accolades, even going so far as to reject high positions that were offered. He had an impressive level of humility and an impressive amount of knowledge for someone essentially self-taught in the sciences. I definitely want to be more like Faraday when I grow up. :)

[Andrew Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful biography about a wonderful man, Michael Faraday. Michael Faraday was an experimental genius and paragon to those who seek to understand nature. The most intriguing facet of Faraday's ethos was his acceptance and appreciation of human inadequacy; he therefore made self-improvement a constant element of his life. We can all strive to have this understanding.

Another element of Faraday's being that I found extraordinary was his inability to do or understand high level mathematics used by his contemporaries. In Faraday's time mathematics dominated the natural sciences; as they do now. It is highly interesting that he was able to make landmark discoveries devoid of the immense mathematical arsenal used by his contemporaries. This is a prime example of human intuition and our ever present inability to understand it. Of course mathematics is necessary, useful, and practical. Many people have not heard of Faraday, but have heard of Maxwell and his deferential equations. Maxwell's work is based directly on the intuition of Michel Faraday. I have gathered the following understanding from this: Intuition drives discovery, mathematics describes it.


He did not seek fame, money, or prestige, he simply wanted to understand nature. He is my ideal conception of a man.

[Jason Furman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read just one biography of Michael Faraday make it this one.

Actually I haven't read any others and probably won't. But this was one well worth it. As Dickensian as the Wire, but more David Copperfield than Little Dorrit. Faraday picked up science by browsing books in the store that he worked in. And then worked his way up from essentially an errand boy to one of the world's premier experimentalist in electricity and magnetism.

Hirshfeld does a nice job mixing the life of Faraday with his science.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet biography of a humble, self-taught, brilliant man. I especially enjoyed learning that Faraday spoke out against psuedoscience during the 19th century craze for table knocking and seances, using it as a way to advocate for elementary and middle school science education during a time when science was only taught at the college level.

[Sherwood Belangia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man is a fascinating case study for the intellectual eros. I found this book quite inspiring.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The picture that Hirshfeld paints of Michael Faraday is an amazing portrait of a self-taught man whose love for nature and discovery drove him to become one of the greatest scientists of his time. Faraday's approach to science is one of intense and methodical experimentation, (un)hindered by the intense mathematical framework that characterized much of the frontiers of the fields he studied. In this way, he lays a path that anyone with the same desire and passion that he had can follow. This biography benefited greatly from Faraday's own words, found in his journals and writings. They reveal a man who turned his intense personal curiosity and desire to know the truth of nature into a drive to better the lot of every person through the application of the scientific ideas he unearthed. The contributions that Faraday made to our world cannot be understated, as the entirety of modern society rests on the foundations of the research he pioneered.

[John Petrocelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Moderately complete account of the scientist's life - missing details. Much of the book includes direct quotes from Faraday's writings.

Favorite Quote: "Twenty-four hours provided insufficient for the tide of Faraday's daily ponderings and activities, a fact he lamented to Abbott: What is the longest, and the shortest thin in the world: the swiftest, and the most slow: the most divisible and the most extended: the least valued and the most regretted: without which nothing can be done: which devours all that is small: and gives life and spirits to every thing that is great? It is that Good Sir, the want of which has till now delayed my answer to your welcome letter. It is what the Creator has thought of such value as never to bestow on us mortals two of the minutest portions of it at once. It is that which with me is at the instant very pleasingly employed. It is Time'" (pp. 39-40).

[Roo Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a toss up between 3 and 4 stars. The author did an excellent job at describing a nice balance between Faraday's personal life, and his professional accomplishments. There are times when long excerpts from letters or other primary sources are just cut and pasted, and you get the feel like they are mostly included to lengthen the book. But getting through the fluff, there is an interesting story about (arguably) the greatest scientist to follow Newton. At his core, he is a pure experimentalist. He had a brilliant knack for devising experiments to test the natural world, and make sense of the results. Thanks to Faraday, we properly understand and can harness electricity and magnetism. There's nothing too controversial in his personal life, but this book would be interesting for anyone with a curiosity about the history of electricity and magnetism.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this book are a bit dry and pedantic. Although Faraday was a contributor to our knowledge of electric fields, his life was hardly "electric". He was an oddball who liked being in the lab more than being with people. The facts about his life and work were interesting.

[LillyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked out this book for research purposes, and I never had plans to read it all. The section I did read was well written, a detailed but clear explanation of both the physicist's scientific tinkerings and personal state during the time period I was interested in.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, well-written biography, but nothing riveting.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the story portions of the book, but lost interest in the math and science portions.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent biography of Michael Faraday that includes descriptions of his experiments.

Strengths of the book:
1. The author, a physics professor himself, does a great job describing the physical sciences and putting Faraday's work into the context of the time. The author gives helpful descriptions of what was generally accepted as fact by other scientists at the time, and how Faraday struggled to disprove these ideas. (Because of this, I think it is helpful for the reader to have a basic understanding of chemistry and electromagnetism before reading this book.) I found the description of Faraday's discovery of diamagnetism particularly insightful, and I appreciated the accounts of his failed attempts to link gravity and electromagnetism.
2. The author incorporates primary sources into the narrative, directly quoting a lot of Faraday's letters and other correspondences. This facilitates an empathetic connection with Faraday, since the reader is constantly hearing Faraday's own "voice" while reading this book. The author selected many insightful quotes from Faraday and the people he interacts with. The author also selected some very nice quotes from other historical figures to begin each chapter.
3. The book really conveys what an exceptional, admirable person Faraday was. Faraday's life is truly inspirational.
4. There is a chapter that is basically a mini-biography of James Clerk Maxwell, and lots of good material describing interactions between Maxwell and Faraday, including a touching quote from Faraday asking Maxwell if it would be possible for him to explain his equations in "common language" Faraday could understand.

Weaknesses of the book:
1. There are some glaring details missing from the story of Faraday's life. He never had children, but the author fails to mention this. Other sources I have read also state that Faraday turned down a knighthood, but this book does not mention that, either.
2. I would have liked to know more about Mrs. Faraday. We only hear about their courtship and the vacations they went on to help Faraday's ailing health. Faraday worked and lived at The Royal Institution; how did Sarah Faraday feel about this? How did she feel about not having any children? We don't get any insights into how she spent her days while he was working long hours.
3. The author occasionally uses the first person when the book is mainly written in third person. It's a little jarring when it happens.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the life of Michael Faraday and the discovery of electromagnetism.

[Shelley Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Faraday. Gives both personal and scientific details about his life and work. Lots of good excerpts from his letters that reveal his personality and style. I became curious to learn more about Faraday after seeing the episode about him in Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Cosmos series. I'm glad I learned more about him. I wish science classes in high school or college had given more information about him as a person. I probably would have been more interested in science if they had....

If you're interested in Edison or Einstein, you will be interested in this. Faraday's work was definitely a precursor to Einstein's, and Faraday was an inspiration to Edison.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this biography so much. I liked that it painted an image of what Faraday was like as a person, the cultural/societal context at the time, his scientific method and discoveries, how his experimental work laid the foundation of our technological society. It is disheartening to see that his fight against pseudoscience is as relevant today as it was back then, when people were frenzied in their reported experiences of tables that turn on their own. Even so, his push for an education system that leads to a more scientifically literate society is a battle still worth the fight.
This book has been inspiring in a very down-to-earth way. The journey it took me on is now very dear to me.

[Matthew Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful telling of the trials and triumphs of Michael Faraday. The author orchestrates the ties throughout Faraday’s life to the contributions of the other scientists of the time—both those that inspired him and those that elevated his works.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was slow and dense at times. However, I learned so much about Micheal Faraday from his enthusiasm for learning and advocating for science education to his multiple scientific discoveries and contributions, not just electromagnetism.

[Steve Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good biography, obviously written with affection and respect. A little too much quoting of Faraday's original words.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I admire Faraday after reading this.

[K. Blaha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Faraday is the man who showed that light, electricity, and magnetism were interconnected forces. The farad is named after him; you know a scientist is important when they’ve got their own unit. He had no formal math training or university education. He made his discoveries through dogged experimentation, humility, and curiosity. And because he was the son of a blacksmith, he almost didn’t even get the chance.

The Electric Life of Michael Faraday is an excellent professional biography of Faraday*. Hirshfeld, a physicist, details Faraday’s motivations in addition to his discoveries. We learn about the books, people and thoughts that motivated Faraday. We see how Faraday coped with the endless failures that precede an experimental success. We also see how Faraday fought for his ideas against the incorrect prevailing notions of the day. We get all this in a compact and readable 200 pages. (The Cosmos episode “The Electric Boy”, covers many of the facts of Faraday’s life, though less of the motivation, and is and excellent companion to this book. And it’s free to stream on Netflix!)

The way we are taught science as children is so different from the way science comes into being. For example, the power of the electron was harnessed well before it was discovered in 1897. Volta invented the battery in 1800; the dynamo, which converted mechanical energy into electricity, was built in 1832. Scientists like Humphry Davy isolated and named elements decades and centuries before we had any idea what made elements different. When a scientist does science today, they also have incomplete information. We learn science as a set of facts and rules, rather than the procedures for learning those facts and rules. The Electric Life excellently illustrates the difference. This book, accompanied with some simple experiments and videos, could make a rich and beautiful teaching example.

Hirshfeld also touches on a social issue that’s as relevant today as it was in Faraday’s time: scientific literacy. Speaking about the Victorian pseudoscience of table-moving, Faraday said

I do not object to table-moving itself… though a very unpromising subject for experiment; but I am opposed to the unwillingness of its advocates to investigate; their boldness to assert; the credulity of the lookers-on; their desire that the reserved and cautious objector should be in error; and I wish, by calling attention to these things, to make the general want of mental discipline and education manifest.

In Faraday’s day, there was no science education. Today, I would argue that while we teach scientific fact, we still don’t teach enough scientific reasoning. The above statement could apply to vaccines, global warming, GMOs, evolution, among others.

I would have liked to learn more about Faraday’s personal life. We learn almost nothing about Faraday’s wife Sarah, or anyone else in his family, or whether he even had children (he didn’t). But again, the book is short, and does such a good job with its chosen issues that this is more of an observation than a criticism.

I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone, scientist or not. You’ll learn about an interesting man of history. You’ll learn how science happens now and two centuries ago. And I think you’ll simply enjoy it.

* I should note that my copy was an advance reading copy from a used book store, so it may vary from the final book in small details.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was enamored by this book. Hirshfeld, who is a physicist, managed to write about Faraday's life in a descriptive, gentle narrative that had a "storybook" feel to it, if that makes sense.

The writing is not dry, which made it an entertaining and comfortable read (except for the parts describing the methods of Faraday's experiments).

Be prepared to read some emotional 19th century poetry.

The author also shows us Faraday's personal letters and his thoughts about his experiments. The man had a sharp, gentle passion yet was humble in his character. Faraday was also a poet who saw beauty in nature and life's circumstances. Mr. Hirshfeld, thank you for showing us the soft side of one of history's greatest scientists! It warmed my heart.

4 stars because he didn't get into how Faraday recrystallized benzene.

[Jackson Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit heavy on the direct quotations from Faraday's letters. I'm in love with the glorious, detailed descriptions of Faraday's experiments.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent overview of Michael Faraday's life. Faraday made many pivotal discoveries in the field of electromagnetism (he basically started it all!). He was a strong Christian, a humble and graceful man, and someone who accomplished much in the science world. Our world of technology has much to thank Faraday for.

The writing was pretty good and this book kept my interest all the way through, but it wasn't fantastic. Or maybe it was just that I got lost (and bored) sometimes in the parts about his scientific discoveries.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography that was very inspiring and informative. Michael Faraday is one of my favorite scientists. This book also includes information about two scientists that had a great influence on Faraday - Humphrey Davy and James Clerk Maxwell.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly elementary and quick. Forgettable.

[Nancy Norbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly compelling biography, so vividly drawn that it's almost like reading a novel.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of Michael Faraday from birth to death.

[Mohamed]

hi