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In 1864, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell unified the areas of electricity and magnetism, thus ending decades of research on the connection between them. Maxwell theorized the existence of electromagnetic waves and a treatise on electricity and magnetism was published in 1873. After initial public skepticism, in 1887 German scientist Heinrich Hertz first proved the existence of electromagnetic waves, and Maxwell’s theory was seen as an unexceptionable system of physical laws, bringing together electricity, magnetism and light.
The discovery of electromagnetism, and the subsequent research on it, have deeply changed the human society: electrical lighting, electrical engines, exchanging information in real time wherever you are, radio, television, radar, telecommunication satellites, mobile phones…
Toscano’s fluent and easy writing fosuses on:
the main steps of the development of the electromagnetism in the XIX century;
Ørsted, Ampère, Faraday and Maxwell: the lives of the scientists involved in this story, their humanity and some novel-like episodes in their lives;
placing the research on electromagnetism in the XIX century’s historical, social and cultural context.

1. 1860s: Maxwell in Victorian London and the presentation of his equations to the Royal Society
2. Hans Christian Ørsted: his life and education, travels and research until 1820
3. Electricity and magnetism from the ancient times to the early XIX century
4. Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism in 1820 and the international scientific community’s reaction
5. André-Marie Ampère: intuitions, tragic events and distractions
6. Ampère and his work
7. Michael Faraday: from bookbinder to member of the Royal Society
8. Faraday’s discovery of electromagnetic induction
9. James Clerk Maxwell: a Scottish country gentleman
10. Maxwell and the equations of the electromagnetism
11. Maxwell’s success and his scientific heritage
12. Goethe, Boltzmann, Maxwell

Fabio Toscano is among the finest Italian Scientific biographers. He wrote several successful and award winning books.