The Chemical History of a Candle ─ Sesquicentenary Edition

Michael Faraday's celebrated series of lectures, The Chemical History of a Candle, became one of the most successful science books ever published and was a classic work of Victorian popular science. They highlight how Faraday--the bookbinder's apprentice turned scientist--was a remarkable communicator of science. First published in 1861, these engaging lectures have remained in print ever since. Covering a wide range of basic scientific knowledge, The Chemical History of a Candle draws out the science behind the candle flame--a familiar yet complex example of combustion, and a source of fascination as much today as it was then. Timed to mark the 150th anniversary of the first publication, Frank James presents a new edition of the lectures, which, for the first time, includes a facsimile of Faraday's original handwritten lecture notes, never before published. Including an introduction from Frank James, one of the world's leading Faraday scholars, this new edition provides fascinating historical background to these lectures, and to Faraday himself.

Frank A. J. L. James is Professor of the History of Science at the Royal Institution. He is editor of the Correspondence of Michael Faraday, of which five volumes (out of six) have been published.