Third Edition. Oxford at The Clarendon Press, 1892. 553 p.
PEEFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
I undertook the task of reading the proofs of this Edition at the request of the Delegates of the Clarendon Press, by whom I was informed, to my great regret, that Mr. W. D. Niven found that the pressure of his official duties prevented him from seeing another edition of this work through the Press.
The readers of Maxwell's writings owe so much to the untiring labour which Mr. Niven has spent upon them, that I am sure they will regret as keenly as I do myself that anything should have intervened to prevent this Edition from receiving the benefit of his care.
It is now nearly twenty years since this book was written, and during that time the sciences of Electricity and Magnetism have advanced with a rapidity almost unparalleled in their previous history; this is in no small degree due to the views introduced into these sciences by this book: many of its paragraphs have served as the starting-points of important investigations. When I began to revise this Edition it was my intention to give in foot-notes some account of the advances made since the publication of the first edition, not only because I thought it might be of service to the students of Electricity, but also because all recent investigations have tended to confirm in the most remarkable way the views advanced by Maxwell. I soon found, however, that the progress
made in the science had been so great that it was impossible to cany out this intention without disfiguring the book by a disproportionate quantity of foot-notes. I therefore decided to throw these notes into a slightly more consecutive form and to publish them separately. They are now almost ready for press, and will I hope appear in a few months. This volume of notes is the one referred to as the 'Supplementary Volume'. A few foot-notes relating to isolated points which could be dealt with briefly are given. All the matter added to this Edition is enclosed within { } brackets.
I have endeavoured to add something in explanation of the argument in those passages in which I have found from my experience as a teacher that nearly all students find considerable difficulties; to have added an explanation of all passages in which I have known students find difficulties would have required more volumes than were at my disposal.
I have attempted to verify the results which Maxwell gives without proof; I have not in all instances succeeded in arriving at the result given by him, and in such cases I have indicated the difference in a foot-note.
I have reprinted from his paper on the Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field, Maxwell's method of determining the self-induction of a coil. The omission of this from previous editions has caused the method to be frequently attributed to other authors.
In preparing this edition I have received the greatest possible assistance from Mr.Charles Chree, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Mr. Chree has read the whole of the proof sheets, and his suggestions have been invaluable. I have also received help from Mr. Larmor, Fellow of St. John's College, Mr. Wilberforce, Demonstrator at the Cavendish Laboratory, and Mr. G. T. Walker, Fellow of Trinity College.
J. J. Thomson. Cavendish Laboratory, Dec. 5, 1891.
PEEFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
I undertook the task of reading the proofs of this Edition at the request of the Delegates of the Clarendon Press, by whom I was informed, to my great regret, that Mr. W. D. Niven found that the pressure of his official duties prevented him from seeing another edition of this work through the Press.
The readers of Maxwell's writings owe so much to the untiring labour which Mr. Niven has spent upon them, that I am sure they will regret as keenly as I do myself that anything should have intervened to prevent this Edition from receiving the benefit of his care.
It is now nearly twenty years since this book was written, and during that time the sciences of Electricity and Magnetism have advanced with a rapidity almost unparalleled in their previous history; this is in no small degree due to the views introduced into these sciences by this book: many of its paragraphs have served as the starting-points of important investigations. When I began to revise this Edition it was my intention to give in foot-notes some account of the advances made since the publication of the first edition, not only because I thought it might be of service to the students of Electricity, but also because all recent investigations have tended to confirm in the most remarkable way the views advanced by Maxwell. I soon found, however, that the progress
made in the science had been so great that it was impossible to cany out this intention without disfiguring the book by a disproportionate quantity of foot-notes. I therefore decided to throw these notes into a slightly more consecutive form and to publish them separately. They are now almost ready for press, and will I hope appear in a few months. This volume of notes is the one referred to as the 'Supplementary Volume'. A few foot-notes relating to isolated points which could be dealt with briefly are given. All the matter added to this Edition is enclosed within { } brackets.
I have endeavoured to add something in explanation of the argument in those passages in which I have found from my experience as a teacher that nearly all students find considerable difficulties; to have added an explanation of all passages in which I have known students find difficulties would have required more volumes than were at my disposal.
I have attempted to verify the results which Maxwell gives without proof; I have not in all instances succeeded in arriving at the result given by him, and in such cases I have indicated the difference in a foot-note.
I have reprinted from his paper on the Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field, Maxwell's method of determining the self-induction of a coil. The omission of this from previous editions has caused the method to be frequently attributed to other authors.
In preparing this edition I have received the greatest possible assistance from Mr.Charles Chree, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Mr. Chree has read the whole of the proof sheets, and his suggestions have been invaluable. I have also received help from Mr. Larmor, Fellow of St. John's College, Mr. Wilberforce, Demonstrator at the Cavendish Laboratory, and Mr. G. T. Walker, Fellow of Trinity College.
J. J. Thomson. Cavendish Laboratory, Dec. 5, 1891.