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bengriffin's review against another edition
4.0
It seems most of the negative reviews around this book focus on the lack of scientific details or things that were missed out. I fnd this strange because the book never claims to be an indepth explanation of the principles of electricity, but rather its history and the human stories behind each important discovery, and it does this very well. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Alan Turing, the development of radar, and found the story of Alexander Graham Bell and his wife incredibly moving. The writing style is easy to read and digest and rattles along nicely. It doesn't get bogged down in the science but has enough knowledge behind it to present what it does well and intrigued me enough to make we want to read more on various subjects in greater depth. As an introduction to the subject it's a great place to start, or if science isn't your thing then there's enough of a human element packed with romance, subterfuge and adventure to appeal to the majority of readers.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
3.0
I got about halfway through this book before I discovered that it was abridged. I found the information interesting, but I could defnintely tell information was missing. Even at the end the narrator talks about the story starting with Volta, but in this abridged version it didn't. It definitely felt as if there were other gaps in the story of electricity. Also, the author changed his approach in a few of the stories. The first two stories start out kind of mysterious, the story on Hertz is told almost entirely from his own diary and other documents. The end of the chapter on computers sounds like the conclusion to the entire book, but it's not.
Still, in spite of all its flaws, I would still recommned. In fact, I'm looking for an unabrided text to read the missing parts. I'm pretty sure they cut out entire stories, but I also suspect that there was some internal editing within the stories as there occasionally seemed to be gaps in the narrative.
Still, in spite of all its flaws, I would still recommned. In fact, I'm looking for an unabrided text to read the missing parts. I'm pretty sure they cut out entire stories, but I also suspect that there was some internal editing within the stories as there occasionally seemed to be gaps in the narrative.
graywacke's review against another edition
3.0
I'm no expert, but this seemed incomplete and of limited depth. Bodanis focuses on interesting aspects of biographies at the cost of, to a degree, the science of and the history of the science of electricity.
Still, enjoyable and easily digestible as an audio book.
Still, enjoyable and easily digestible as an audio book.
cjdavey's review against another edition
2.0
Entertaining and readable - but at a price. Tesla may be the biggest but he's not the only omission; for example, while their work wasn't electrical, it seems disingenuous to omit the likes of Babbage and Lovelace from a history of computing. Then there are the simplifications. They're huge, sometimes misleading, and often unnecessary. Style over substance.
collismeanshill's review against another edition
4.0
Science light, history strong. Good storytelling. Solidly popular science, it is what it purports to be.
citizenkahn's review
3.0
Wasted the whole book telling tales of pioneers in electricity and electronics but didn't cover Debbie Gibson's "electric youth" contribution at all!
Actually, good explanations of electricity from physics and engineering perspectives buttressed with the history of science narratives that Bodanis is known for. A worthy read.
Actually, good explanations of electricity from physics and engineering perspectives buttressed with the history of science narratives that Bodanis is known for. A worthy read.
bengriffin's review against another edition
4.0
It seems most of the negative reviews around this book focus on the lack of scientific details or things that were missed out. I fnd this strange because the book never claims to be an indepth explanation of the principles of electricity, but rather its history and the human stories behind each important discovery, and it does this very well. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Alan Turing, the development of radar, and found the story of Alexander Graham Bell and his wife incredibly moving. The writing style is easy to read and digest and rattles along nicely. It doesn't get bogged down in the science but has enough knowledge behind it to present what it does well and intrigued me enough to make we want to read more on various subjects in greater depth. As an introduction to the subject it's a great place to start, or if science isn't your thing then there's enough of a human element packed with romance, subterfuge and adventure to appeal to the majority of readers.