Description
The first popular history of the technology which harnessed electricity and powered the greatest scientific and technological advances of the modern era.
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Despite the publisher's comparison of this book to Mark Kurlansky's Cod and other "object biographies", Schlesinger's volume is actually an anecdote-heavy history of the development of batteries and associated technologies. Taking readers from the Leyden Jar and Galvani's twitching frog legs to modern laptop batteries, the author shows how the development of battery technology was frequently a matter of luck rather than inspiration or scientific rigor. An appendix discusses the 2000-year old "Baghdad batteries," maintaining the element of mystery while thoroughly debunking any connection to UFOs or space aliens. Making a convincing argument that batteries are essential to our modern world, this lively book should interest a wide range of readers. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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