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.

If your a science enthusiast and enjoy reading about the history and the people behind some of the great scientific achievements then you will enjoy this book. I certainly never realized the scope of Maxwell's achievements. He was simply brilliant.

Unlike most science-related books, there were only a few pages within this biography that dealt with diagrams and equations. the majority of the novel consisted of stunning information regarding the life and mind of James Clerk Maxwell, who is often forgotten by the general public in favor of more prolific figures such as Joule and Farraday.

Although I'll go as far to admit that as a high schooler, this type of literature is not my favorite, I was surprised to find that this book captivated by imagination and allowed insight not just into the work but into the mind of Maxwell. For research purposes, this book contains a very useful index for efficient and easy fact-finding. Furthermore, the technical diagrams and equations were explained very well, and with sufficient time and patience could be understood.

Most amazing was Maxwell's life and career. His early entry into science and math (age 16) is both awesome and inspiring. Basil Mahon brings Maxwell's achievement into plain view with ease and language and an interesting style of writing so rarely found in science books today.

James Clerk Maxwell was an extraordinary yet under appreciated scientist. Although he lived a short life, his accomplishments help to compensate for this. His many accomplishments include his electromagnetic theory and his groundbreaking discoveries on the properties of colored light. He began learning at a young age in a family that entertained one another with poetry and recreations of famous plays. Maxwell's extensive and extremely productive education began in the laboratory of James Forbes, who allowed Maxwell to learn freely. Along with Forbes Maxwell began his work on light and how the human eye perceives it. When Forbes became ill, Maxwell began to research and experiment on his own. His scientific career soon took off.

This book is truly fascinating and does not require extensive knowledge of physics to understand. Anyone interested in reading a biography of a scientist would be enthralled by this novel. Basil Mahon does a phenomenal job of explaining the reasoning behind Maxwell's experiments without making it impossible for the common reader to understand. He also does an excellent job of portraying Maxwell as the influential scientist that he truly was.

James Clerk Maxwell was an extraordinary man. From his quiet beginnings in Glenlair to the building of Cavendish Laboratories, James excelled in creativity, innovation and persistence. Beginning in the Edinburgh academy, James was constantly questioning the world around him, and often asked, "How does it work?". From generating the first standard measurements for electromagnetism using an ingenious mechanical apparatus, to creating the first color photograph and a system to produce any color on the spectrum, Maxwell was as focused as he was well rounded. Though he was faced with many challenges, some physical, some institutional, Maxwell was able to adapt and overcome resistance to his theories as he tackled newer and more challenging topics. His groundbreaking theories led to many things, including general relativity and a new form of science, stress analysis. He was inspired by almost everything, but most of all the world around him. Basil Mahon wrote this biography not to chronicle the events of Maxwell's life, but to shed light on his discoveries and contributions to science. By far, Maxwell is one of the top ten scientists, and came up with many things that today we take for granted. Yet, very little credit is give to him where it is due. Mahon wants to change this and expounds not only the details of his discoveries, but their implications as well. His book provides interesting insight in to the though processes behind some of the greatest theories of all time, linking all forms of electromagnetic radiation together. This book brings the reader in to the early days of science, when it was truly a gentlemen's pursuit, and filled with odd personalities, literature, odd contraptions and science experiments done at home.

This is a quite thoroughly wonderful book. Among other things,
it achieves the extraordinary feat of explaining Maxwell's
contributions in a way that's both entirely honest and entirely
clear even for lay readers. Then it transcends this feat by
making the science not just clear but riveting. A lesser author
might have watered down the ideas to make them palatable;
Mahon adds flavor instead. The portrait of Maxwell the man is as
gripping as the portrait of Maxwell the scientist, and both
portraits are beautifully intertwined. I love this book.

I've always been interested in the lives of people who has contribute in any way to science. When you read this book you learn the life of Maxwell, you learn how Maxwell solved difficult problems and also Maxwell teach you lessons of life.

It is curious to me how people can see things that others not, and it is interesting that most of the greatest "brains" of all times come from this island, England.

Lots of people say that they know about the Electromagnetic theory but few really understand what's behind. I just want to learn more about it.

+++++

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)

+++++

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. This book is indeed a tribute to a great man. I enjoyed every page.

For those of us hooked on science biographies, Mr. Mahon's take on Maxwell is an engaging work. The author weaves autobiographical detail smoothly into a story of critically important scientific discoveries (field theory, color theory). Like Kepler and Galileo before him, Maxwell saw no contradiction between science and faith. And while he was respected in his day, many of his most important theories were not proven until long after his death. Einstein credited Maxwell with laying the groundwork for his own seminal work.

When I started reading this book, I 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.

This Biography of James Maxwell started off with an introduction of his surroundings. His surrounding's included his place of living, parents, and more. He grows up in a safe, free, and open enviroment. His father is in the field of law and has a pretty good source of income. His mother dies of a
failed surgery but his father is still very supportive of him. Even though his father wants him to go in to the law field, James feels the urge of following his dreams of being a scientist. Other family members, and close friends can
see James's talent for mathmatics and they persuade James's father to let him study science. He goes to different schools, does very well, meets lots of
friends, and succeeds in what he concentrates on. Even at a very young age, he experiments with his own theories and makes remarkable discoveries.
I beleive this book has been one of the best scientist based biographies I have read. The format of the book was very logical and easy to follow. It did not jump around and was sequential like a story. Basil Mohan, I beleive, wrote
this book because James Maxwell was never really recognized for his work that he has done. He hasn't done any major, life changing work but he has affected the world of science and math. Most of his work was based of other mathmatician's work so he was never a big super scientist star. He did make corrections on previous works, simplified them, and wrote new updated formulas for out of date work. He did a lot of work with electromagnetic waves and found the basis of how to further technology which was based with electromagnetic waves.
This book is very readable and that's why I suggest it to you. Even though it is a biograpghy of a scientist, he was a unique character. I have never heard of him and now I see that there are scientists in the world who's name might never be heard of. There is a very good flow between the chapters and I enjoyed what I learned. Also, the book had a very happy tone and story-like readability so if you would like to read a book that has historical reference yet interesting facts I suggest this book to you.

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.

James Clerk Maxwell is one of the greatest scientists not only because of his many great contributions but also because he inspired so many others who went on to become outstanding
scientists. The impact of his work is so far-reaching that it
is difficult to find the right words to describe it. Thus, it
is rather curious that no major biographies of Maxwell have been published.

This biography by Basil Mahon attempts to address this void.
This is a good book that is enjoyable to read. James' strengths, both scientific and personal, are presented in
an engaging style. But, one cannot but feel that, given the greatness of the subject, the biography is not as vast in scope as one might expect. This is a simple biography of a great man.

The scientific accomplishments of James Clerk Maxwell are astounding! To think that he was able to accomplish so much in electromagnetism, optics, thermodynamics, etc., in so short a life boggles the mind. This biography is well done. The writing is clear and engaging. The various scientific explanations give a good indication of how Maxwell the scientist approached and solved physical problems. His charming personality and his wittiness stand out to give one a good overall impression of Maxwell the man. Notes at the end of the book provide added information on some issues discussed in the main text. Complete with an index and a bibliography, this book should be read by anyone interested in knowing more about one of the greatest, yet less known, all-time giants of the scientific world.