The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell

+++++

Who wrote these poetic lines?

"Trust me spring is very near,
All the buds are swelling;
All the glory of the year
In those buds is dwelling."

The obvious answer is some famous poet. Right? Wrong! These are the lines in a poem written by a forgotten icon in science named James Clerk Maxwell (1831 to 1879). Learning that this great scientist was also a poet is just one of the facts you'll find in this extremely well organized, well-written, easy-to-read book authored by former engineer Basil Mahon.

Even before plunging into the main narrative, I was impressed with the material beforehand.

Take the table of contents. At a glance, I can tell you what happened anytime in Maxwell's life. For example, what happened between 1856 and 1860. I just have to glance at the table of contents. For chapter 6, it has the title "Saturn and Statistics: Aberdeen 1856-1860." (Saturn is the sixth planet in our solar system.)

There is also a "chronology" that lists the "principle events in Maxwell's life." For instance, what significant event occurred in 1858? Answer at a glance: Maxwell was awarded the Adams' Prize for his essay "On the Stability of the Motion of Saturn's Rings."

As well, there is a "cast of characters." That is, a summary outline of "Maxwell's relations and close friends" found throughout the book. For example, who was William Thompson (later Baron Kelvin)? Answer at a glance: He was a friend (and mentor of the early stages of Maxwell's career) and Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University.

In his main narrative, Mahon tells us everything about Maxwell beginning with his early years and ending with his early death. We learn about his world-shaking scientific discoveries as well as about the man himself. With regards to this entire book, the publication "Nature" said it best:

"not merely an absorbing account of Maxwell's life [but] an explanation of why his work is at the foundation of the modern world."

Mahon's main narrative shines with his last two chapters entitled "Last days" and "Maxwell's legacy" respectively.

In the former case, we learn the actual words of a doctor treating him for his medical condition: "No man ever met death more consciously or more calmly." (This is another bonus of Mahon's book in that he punctuates it with the actual words used by those who knew Maxwell or uses Maxwell's actual words.)

In the latter case, we learn of Maxwell's extensive legacy. His achievements are too numerous to list but perhaps Einstein said it best:

"One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell."

There are more than twenty black-and-white illustrations located in the center of this book. I found these interesting.

You don't have to be a science wiz to read this book. However, it would be helpful to have some basic science background or have access to a good science dictionary if you want to fully understand the science parts of this book.

Once you've finished reading the main narrative of this book, that's it. Well, no. The Notes gives some interesting information that did not make into the main narrative.

Finally, I was surprised by two things:

(1) Mahon did not mention the curious coincidence that the year in which Maxwell died (1879), was the same year that Einstein was born.
(2) There was an electromagnetic unit named after Maxwell called, appropriately, the "maxwell" (symbol: Mx). It has been recently replaced by another name.

In conclusion, this is a fascinating book that gives us insight into a neglected scientific icon. I'm glad this book gave me the opportunity to know a little about James Clerk Maxwell!!

(first published 2003; list of illustrations; preface; acknowledgements; chronology; cast of characters; introduction; 12 chapters; main narrative 185 pages; notes; bibliography; index)

+++++

When I started reading this book, I have seen something similar to the history of one of the greatest mathematicians, Euler.
Euler and Maxwell were probably similar in several ways, they were true genius but still kept in contact with normal people and enjoyed life. Their fame is not proportional to their contributions, Maxwell and Euler are in the same category as men like Einstein, Newton, Da Vinci.

Basil Mahon has done a great job of telling Maxwell life and presenting his contributions to science in a way that a lay person can understand. The great thing is that he presents the methods or models used by Maxwell to reach his conclusions. It makes easier for us to understand the thought process of a genius.

Clearly Basil Mahon admired his subject, and by extension the reader will get involved.

Maxwell was a man for all times; unassuming till the end, but always striving to research something, to help others, to understand nature and technology. There is no telling what other gems he might have uncovered if he had not died relatively young.

The book does not mention Oliver Heaviside and other "maxwellians" who further interpreted and cleaned up his equations (from the nightmare quarternion to the practical vector spaces), but it is a tribute to his genius nonetheless. I enjoyed every page.

It is amazing that such a pivotal figure in physics remains relatively unknown to the public at large. I even asked a British friend of mine -- who actually went to Cambridge -- if he knew who James Clerk Maxwell was. He hadn't the foggiest.

So it's a shame that this narrow biography (barely 190 pages of actual content -- excluding end-notes, etc.) does not deliver a more compelling picture of both the man and the scientist.

A good biographer must do more than collect a series of chronological facts and array them in a sensible order; he must know how to tell a story. A science biographer has an even more daunting task -- he must tell the story of his subject while at the same time unraveling the wonder of scientific discovery. Mahon fails at both of these.

Mahon's style is factual and competent, but he fails to convey any essence of the man himself. Who was James Clerk Maxwell? I know where he lived, where he taught, and what he did, but I have no greater insight whatsoever into what drove the man. What were his hopes, fears, ambitions?

While it is possible that there was not enough historical source material to paint this picture, I highly doubt it. A prolific letter writer (by Mahon's own account), I would have appreciated far more quotes from Maxwell's own writings (both private and published). Anything -- realy -- to give greater insight into the man.

Pehraps equally disappointing is the limited play that Mahon gives Maxwell's science. While he does provide a cursory view of some of Maxwell's greatest achievements, I believe he does not go deep enough. I admit that the topic of electromagentic field theory is complex, but a greater effort shoud have been made to explain how important this development was to the development of modern field theory. Oddly, Mahon spends time explaining Maxwell's equations (i.e., the meaning of the terms), but is not able to truly convey their beauty or importance to the layman. More importantly, Mahon fails to demonstrate exactly why the subject of his biography lives up to the book's title "The Man Who Changed Everything."

In many ways, James Clerk Maxwell's fame seems inversely proportional to his influence on the historical development of modern physics. So it's regrettable that it has been left to Mahon to write the modern biography of such a great man.

Ever wonder what the rings of Saturn were made of and how they are stable? Maxwell made his prediction in 1859, (for added emphasis 1859!!!!) and was completely right! The Man Who Changed Everything is an excellent book if you are interested. It details the life of James Clerk Maxwell, perhaps one of the most important scientists of the 19th century, yet almost completely unknown. Most importantly Maxwell unified the theories of electricity and magnetism; he also advanced Kinetic gas theory, took the first color photograph, developed ways to analyze stress in a structure, and even laid the foundations of cybernetics. The book's style is easy to read but in depth both in detail and Maxwell's theories. I would highly recommend this book to someone with an interest in physics or anyone willing to learn about one of the greatest minds in science.