James Clerk Maxwell Biography
Toby's Statue - Maxwell’s Home Preserved, His Statue Unveiled
As a part of the effort to share the story of James Clerk Maxwell's lifetime accomplishments, Sonnet is pleased to announce a new article by Dr. James C. Rautio, published in the June 2009 issue of the IEEE Microwave Magazine. Within this article, Dr. Rautio shares his personal undertakings, as well as his observations, of the ongoing Maxwell home preservation process.
The 1997 Digital Preservation of "The Life of James Clerk Maxwell"
We know James Clerk Maxwell primarily for Maxwell’s equations. While I personally have been working only several decades with Maxwell’s equations, there are many researchers who have been working with his equations for their entire professional careers. But what do we know about Maxwell the person? Where are all the biographies of this person described by Richard Feynman as the greatest physicist of the 19th century, the one person who, after the Civil War of the same century is long forgotten, will still be shining brightly?
There are very few biographies of Maxwell. The most comprehensive biography was written by a life-long friend, Lewis Campbell with help from William Garnett. It is considered a primary historical reference on Maxwell. Published in 1882, shortly after Maxwell’s death, it is today found only in the rare book rooms of large libraries. However, now the entire text of the book with figures included is available here.
In December of 1996, I gained access to a copy. As I started reading it, I was moved to engage in a major project: to digitize the book and to convert the images into word processor files (by means of OCR, Optical Character Recognition, software) so that others might enjoy the book as well.
The book is in three parts: 1) A description of his life, 2) A description of his scientific works, 3) A collection of his poetry.
I hope you enjoy discovering the personal side of one of the giants upon whose shoulders we stand.
--James C. Rautio
Sonnet Software, Inc.
Maxwell Bio CD
If you're interested in adding this unique biography to your personal library, you can obtain a CD-ROM version complete with page-scan (to view the original page layout) and HTML versions.
The introductory price for the CD-ROM is US$50 plus US$10 (US$20 for international destinations) for shipping and handling. California and New York state residents need to add applicable sales tax for the cost of the CD-ROM. The part number for the CD-ROM is S-MX100X.
You may purchase the CD-ROM using check or credit card (MasterCard or Visa). Contact us to place your order or order on-line
"Maxwell's Legacy" - Article as it appears in the IEEE Microwave Magazine - June 2005
This is an article that I wrote for the June 2005 issue of the IEEE Microwave Magazine discussing the events that shaped and led to Maxwell's founding of the field of electromagnetic theory.
IEEE MTT-S Distinguished Microwave Lecture Series on the Life of James Clerk Maxwell
Every year, Microwave Theory and Techniques Society carefully selects a group of Distinguished Microwave Lecturers who are considered experts in their field. The lecturers are available to present talks to local MTT-S chapters world-wide. In 2005, James C. Rautio was honored to be selected as a Distinguished Microwave Lecturer.