The Home Life of Sir David Brewster

An absorbing and detailed biography of Sir David Brewster, the brilliant nineteenth-century scientist, internationally famous for the invention of the kaleidoscope and his work on the polarization of light. It is written for a non-academic audience by his daughter, Mrs Margaret M. Gordon.

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The Home Life of Sir David Brewster, originally published in 1869, records the remarkable life of inventor, physicist, mathematician and astronomer, Sir David Brewster (1781–1868). Written by his daughter, Mrs Margaret M. Gordon, the book is aimed at a non-academic audience, and details the extraordinary life and work of this amazing scientist, who began his studies at Edinburgh University at the age of just twelve, and who is best known for his invention of the kaleidoscope and of the apparatus that initially formed the structure of the core of the lighthouse, and thus his work on the polarization of light. Mrs. Gordon cites Brewster's many activities, including the publication of over 2,000 scientific papers, though she stresses that she has written about her father as the man, and not the scientist. The book will appeal to anyone interested in the life and career of this undoubtedly brilliant Scotsman.