Book Rec of the Day 3/12/2007

“Hugely impressive.”—Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything

“Intriguing.”—Ross King, Brunelleschi’s Dome

“A true scientific adventure.”—Simon Singh, Fermat’s Last Theorem

You use electricity every day, but do you know anything about it really? In this wonderfully readable history, Bodanis explains the science behind the wonder, and also the scandals. Meet Edison, Marconi, Morse—men who, in their quests to harness electrons, were in some cases driven to poverty, despair, suicide, and in others, to greatness.

ELECTRIC UNIVERSE: THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY OF ELECTRICITY, by David Bodanis (Crown, 2005)