Kelvin - Life, Labours and Legacy

The current work is distinctive in bringing the expertise of a range of authors, historians of science and of mathematics, physicists, mathematicians and engineers, to bear on Kelvin’s life, labours, and legacy. This range of contributors in itself testifies to the extent of Kelvin’s work, and it is hoped that it will also enable the reader to view the subject from a variety of perspectives, each of which complements and enriches the others. Each essay is self contained and can be read independently of the others. This has inevitably introduced some examples of repetition across the book, but as editors we feel this small price is worth paying, as it allows readers to move directly to the aspects of Kelvin’s life and work which interest them most. Of course we hope that such a reader, their appetite thus whetted, will be led to many of the other essays!