THE DISCOVERY OF ELECTROMAGNETISM

ØRSTED (OERSTED), H.C.

Versuche über die Wirkung des electrischen Conflicts auf die Magnetnadel. (Experimenta circa Effectum, etc. Expériences sur l'effet du conflict électrique sur l'aiguille animantée).

Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1820. Contemporary half calf. Raised bands, gilt spine. Spine slightly rubbed. "Annalen der Physik. Hrsg. von Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert", Bd. 66. Small stamps on verso of title-pages (2) and verso of plates. (12), 426 pp., 1 folded table a. 3 engraved plates. The entire volume offered. Oersted's paper: pp. 295-304. Internally clean and fine.

First edition of the first German translation (by Gilbert) of Oersted's epoch-making announcement of his discovery of electromagnetism, printed in the same year as the Latin original. The work originally appeared in Latin as "Experimenta circa effectum conflictus electrici in acun magneticam. Hafniæ, 1820"; this Latin pamphlet is impossibly scarce and only a few copies are known, as it was privately printed in a very small number and was only distributed to colleagues in Europe.

This discovery and confirmation of the connection between 2 forces, electricity and magnetism, must be considered one of the happiest events in the history of science, both with regard to scientific and practical results.

"From the moment that Ørsted's discovery became known it created an enormous sensation. The results communicated were so astounding that they were received with a certain distrust, but they were stated with such accuracy that it could hardly be permitted to entertain any doubts. In the course of a short time the treatise was translated into all the chief languages." (Kirstine Meyer).

In a note Gilbert says, that it is a word by word translation of Oersted's small Latin pamphlet, "Eine fast wörtliche Uebersetzung des einzeln gedruckten, lateinischen, de 21 Juli 1820 geschriebenen Viertel-Bogens, de von Hrn. Oersted mehreren zugeschicht worden ist..."

When Oersted's discovery became known to European physicists they became busy with testing Oersted's results; thus, this volume of "Annalen" contains some important papers on electromagnetism in German: Gilbert: Untersuchungen über die Einwirkung des geschlossenen galvanisch-electrischen Kreises uaf die Magnetnadel. pp. 331-391; Biot & Savart: Von einer Abhandlung über die Magnetismus der Voltaischen Sáule (The Law of Biot & Savart), pp. 392-394 (German extract); Yelin: Ueber den Zusammenhang der Electricität mit dem Magnetismus...mit einigen Zusätzen von Gilbert.; Muncke: Einiges die Polarisierung des Lichtes und die Oersted'schen Versuche betreffend... The volume also contains first German editions of papers by Biot, Gay-Lussac, G.G. Schmidt, Humphrey Davy, etc.

Dibner:61 - PMM: 282 - Horblitt: 3 b. - Sparrow: 152.

Order-nr.: 43416