Audiobook · read by volunteers
Familiar Letters on Chemistry
Justus von Liebig (1803–1873)
Read by J. M. Smallheer, ML Cohen, Peter Yearsley, Gary Gilberd, Larysa Jaworski, Esther · 17 chapters · 4 h 12
About the book
In the early 1840s, the German chemist Justus von Liebig set out to explain the science of his day to the curious general reader, in the form of letters. Chemistry, he insists, is not a matter for laboratories alone. It lies behind the burning of a candle, the fertility of a field, the digestion of a meal and the working of the human body. In these pages we hear about the air and water, about plants and soil, about fermentation, the metals and the nature of life. Liebig writes with enthusiasm and persuasion, in a style meant to inspire as well as inform. It is a window onto the excitement of a young science, and an enjoyable one for anyone with a taste for the history of ideas.
Introduction
Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry. He is known for his work on the importance of nitrogen as a plant nutrient, and he did much to establish the modern laboratory as a place for teaching chemistry. His influence on the training of chemists across Europe and beyond was considerable.
Familiar Letters on Chemistry first appeared in the early 1840s, in a form intended for general readers, and it was soon translated into English. This recording uses the translation by John Gardner, and the date given for it is 1843. The letters were written for the public, and they were meant to show how chemistry touches everyday life: farming, cooking, health, industry and the working of the natural world.
Readers today will find that much of the science has been superseded, and some of the conclusions are no longer accepted. Even so, the book is of lasting interest as a record of how a leading scientist explained his field to the public in a period when it was changing fast. His belief that scientific knowledge should be shared widely is itself part of the book's appeal.
The recording has seventeen chapters and lasts about four hours and a quarter. It is read by LibriVox volunteers. It suits listeners who are curious about the history of science and the lively prose of the nineteenth century.
Public domain
Justus von Liebig died in 1873: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text