The Scientific Letters and Papers of James Clerk Maxwell

Originally published between 1990 and 2002 this set is now available in paperback for the first time. This is a comprehensive edition of Maxwell's manuscript papers, published in a virtually complete form. Maxwell's work was of central importance in establishing and developing the major themes of the physics of the nineteenth century. His theory of the electromagnetic field and the electromagnetic theory of light, and his development of statistical molecular theory, have established his special place in the history of physics. His fecundity of imagination and the sophistication of his examination of the foundation of physics give particular interest and importance to his writings. This edition includes Maxwell's letters to William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Michael Faraday, George Gabriel Stokes, Lord Rayleigh, Peter Guthrie Tait, and many other physicists, mathematicians and scholars. These letters, together with numerous drafts of his published scientific papers and reports on papers submitted to the Royal Society, illuminate his scientific thought, providing a unique perspective on classical physics at a crucial stage in its development.