Hawkins Electrical Guide v. 01

Hawkins, N. (Nehemiah), 1833-1928Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5
Word count
331K words
Chapters
34

Tags

English Originals Industrial Technology Electrical EngineeringScience EnlightenmentStep-by-Step GuideIllustrated StepsPractical GuideSkill Training

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. Hawkins Electrical Guide v. 01 (of 10) by N. Hawkins. Author: Hawkins, N. (Nehemiah), 1833–1928. Language: English. Class: TK: Technology: Electrical, Electronics and Nuclear engineering. Release Date: Dec 22, 2011

Editor's review

This is the first of ten volumes of the Hawkins Electrical Guide, an early introductory text on electrical engineering, digitized and released by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in cutting-edge technology but in the glimpse it offers of electrical knowledge in its early stages of systematization: fundamental concepts, device principles, and engineering common sense unfold step by step, in plain language, with examples grounded in the technical conditions of the time. For readers interested in the history of electrical engineering education, or in building an intuitive physical picture from scratch, this book offers rare primary material. It is best read as a technical document rather than matched line by line against modern textbooks, with attention to how it defines terms, its unit conventions, and its habits of explanation. Because it was written long ago, some content no longer aligns with contemporary standards; reading it alongside a modern introductory text is recommended, both to fill in fundamentals and to trace the arc of technological change. A light read for enthusiasts of technical history, or supplementary outside reading for electrical engineering students.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Skim the table of contents first and prioritize chapters on fundamental concepts
  2. Keep a modern basic electrical engineering textbook at hand to consult when units or definitions differ
  3. After each chapter, restate the core concepts in your own words to check your understanding
  4. Note outdated formulations separately as material for a history-of-technology notebook

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no electrical background at all? It can serve as an introductory aid, but it is not recommended as the only textbook. Concepts unfold slowly, which helps build intuitive impressions; however, some definitions and units differ from modern standards, so it is best read alongside a contemporary basic electrical engineering textbook, deferring to the modern text where differences arise.
Why does the content look different from today's textbooks? The book was written long ago and reflects how electrical knowledge was expressed in its early stages of systematization; unit conventions, angles of definition, and the conditions behind examples all differ from contemporary textbooks. That difference is precisely its value as historical material; read for its logical thread rather than checking it line by line against modern conclusions.
What level of English is needed to read it? The original is English technical writing with fairly plain sentence structures and a high rate of repeated specialized terms. Readers with college-level English who are willing to use a dictionary can make progress. Try a few pages first; if unfamiliar words are too dense, build up basic electrical vocabulary before returning.

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About the author

Hawkins, N. (Nehemiah), 1833-1928 Author

Public information about the life and nationality of N. Hawkins (1833–1928) is limited. Eleven of his works are held in the collection, mainly in the practical technical fields of electrical engineering, machinery, and boiler operation. His representative work, the multi-volume Hawkins Electrical Guide, explains electrical principles, equipment, and wiring in a systematic and clearly organized way and was once widely read as an introductory technical text. Pumps and Hydraulics and Maxims and Instructions for the Boiler Room focus on pumps and hydraulic systems and on boiler-room operating practices; their direct language emphasizes practical application. These works date mainly from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and served engineers, technicians, and self-learners, reflecting the typical character of technical popularization writing of the period.