First edition of an important collection of memoirs, from Febr. 1861 on, in the field of Tyndall's major work, the effects of solar and heat radiation on atmospheric gases (1860-1870). He then considered the scattering of light particles in the atmosphere (the Tyndall effect) and explained the blue color of the sky (Rayleigh scattering). The scattering of sunlight by dust particles led him to consider means of destroying airborne organic matter by heat . Tyndall is remembered chiefly for his efforts to verify the high absorptive and radiative power of aqueous vapor; to measure the absorption and transmission of heat by many different gasses and liquids . Practical applications of his work in meteorology, fog signaling, and bacteriology were seen within his lifetime. . (DSB).

Professor of natural philosophy for the Royal Institution between 1853 and 1887, the physicist John Tyndall (1820-93) passionately sought to share scientific understanding with the Victorian public. Reissued here are his collected contributions on radiant heat to various journals over many years, published in 1872 with helpful summaries.

Physicist John Tyndall and his contemporaries were at the forefront of developing the cosmology of scientific naturalism during the Victorian period. They rejected all but physical laws as having any impact on the operations of human life and the universe. Contributors focus on the way Tyndall and his correspondents developed their ideas through letters, periodicals and scientific journals and challenge previously held assumptions about who gained authority, and how they attained and defended their position within the scientific community.