Thunder and Lightning

Flammarion, Camille, 1842-1925Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 365K words
Chapters: 37

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Thunder and Lightning by Camille FlammarionAuthor: Flammarion, Camille, 1842-1925,Language: English, Class: QC: Science: Physics, Release Date: Mar 2, 2013

Editor's review

This is Camille Flammarion's popular science work on lightning and thunder, a typical example of the French tradition of popular science writing from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. The author was a well-known astronomer, skilled at making natural phenomena such as atmospheric electricity, the causes of thunderstorms, and the forms of lightning vivid and tangible; the book often combines observational records, historical examples, and everyday experience, grounding abstract physical concepts in scenes readers can imagine. For today's readers, its value lies not only in the knowledge itself but in showing how a science popularizer organizes evidence, explains nature in literary language, and reveals the boundaries of understanding of lightning in that era. When reading, focus on how the author poses questions, describes phenomena, and which conclusions modern physics has since revised; this is more rewarding than simply memorizing facts. It is suitable as a comparative reading for the history of science and science writing, and for readers interested in nineteenth-century scientific culture to browse at leisure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in the history of science and early popular science writing
Students who want to understand the level of nineteenth-century knowledge about atmospheric electricity
Readers who enjoy explanations of natural phenomena and are willing to compare past and present knowledge
Researchers and writers in need of material or case studies for popular science writing

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking direct access to modern lightning protection and safety guidelines
Readers who accept only contemporary physics conclusions and are unwilling to read historical texts
Learners who need a systematic textbook-style knowledge structure

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and chapter introductions first, mark passages that differ markedly from contemporary physics, then read them closely.
Prepare modern popular science material on lightning for side-by-side comparison and note revised conclusions as you go.
Compare the phenomena described in the book with thunderstorms you have experienced yourself to enhance immersion in the reading.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as a textbook for modern lightning knowledge?

No. It reflects the level of understanding of the author's time, and some explanations have been updated by modern physics. A more appropriate use is to treat it as a sample of the history of science and science writing, reading it in comparison with contemporary materials and focusing on how the author observes, describes, and argues, rather than using the book's conclusions directly as current knowledge.

Is the English original difficult to read?

As a late nineteenth-century popular science work, it has long sentences and many descriptive passages, but it is generally aimed at ordinary readers and the density of technical terms is not high. Readers with intermediate English proficiency can attempt it; looking up meteorological and electrical vocabulary in one batch will make the reading smoother.

Why is it recommended to read it alongside modern materials?

Because the book's explanations of issues such as the causes of thunderstorms and the classification of lightning carry the limitations of their time, and reading it alone can easily lead one to mistake old conclusions for current knowledge. Comparing it with modern materials not only shows how science evolves but also trains the ability to distinguish textual evidence from conclusions, making the reading more rewarding than passive acceptance.

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About the author

Flammarion, Camille, 1842-1925 Author

Camille Flammarion (1842–1925) was a renowned French astronomer and popular science writer who devoted his life to bringing astronomy to ordinary readers. Nine of his works are held in this collection, spanning a remarkably wide range: visionary novels set against the cosmos, such as Lumen and Urania; introductory guides like Astronomy for Amateurs; and works on natural and psychic phenomena, including Thunder and Lightning and Mysterious Psychic Forces. His writing often blends scientific fact with philosophical imagination, touching on celestial myths and humanity's ancient imaginings of the sky, and exerted a broad influence on popular science writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not elaborated here.