Lengthening the Day

People have always wanted light, and until the 19th century the only useful source of light was flame. Electricity brought clean light without flame, and sometimes even without much heat. This book is about the ways in which people have made light to lengthen their day. It explains how oil-lamps, candles, and gas-lights work and, drawing on writings of the time, shows how the available lights affected daily life. The principles of all the main types of electric lights now available are described. Alongside this technical history, quotations from Aristophanes to Jane Austen, from James Boswell to Kenneth Grahame, illustrate the social importance of lighting.