內容簡介
   One day in 1882, Thomas Edison flipped a switch that lit up lower Manhattan with incandescent light and changed the way people live ever after. The electric light bulb was only one of thousands of Edison's inventions, which include the phonograph and the kinetoscope, an early precursor to the movie camera. As a boy, observing a robin catch a worm and then take flight, he fed a playmate a mixture of worms and water to see if she could fly! Here's an accessible, appealing biography with 100 black-and-white illustrations.     
作者簡介
   Born 1943.  
 TRAINED
 1959-60 Bolton College of Art.
 1960-62 Liverpool College of Art. (Intermediate in Arts & Craft.)
 1962-64 Stoke-on-Trent College of Art. (Art Teachers Diploma. A.T.D. A.T.C.Manc..)  
 ASSOCIATIONS
 Full member C.P.A..Elected as C.P.A. Council Member 1997.Guest Demonstrator at the International Potters Festival, Aberystwyth 1997.  
 WORKING PRACTICE AND APPROACH.
 As a young art student at Bolton College of Art I was eager to work with clay. The enthusiasm and dedication of the pottery lecturer there, L.F. Matthews, gave me an insight into 'the craft of the potter' and set me on a course of learning, research and experiment from which I have never wanted to deviate. 
 Stoke-on-Trent School of Art under Derek Emms introduced me to working with reduction fired stoneware of the Eastern tradition. At this time I met David and together we started to lay the foundation for the establishment of our workshop which we have had now for thirty five years. 
 The early years of domestic production throwing were invaluable as a foundation for the work that I do now and I look back with great respect to the struggles that we overcame and the insight that was gained into the nature of clays, glazes and form. As our two boys Daniel and Gregor grew up I was able to develop my own personal work more and explored my deep attachment to reduction porcelain.
 Over the last few years much effort and experimentation has gone into the development of my own porcelain body with glazes to fit this low expansion body. The qualities of translucency and lightness sought, demand that it is potted quite finely and it takes time, care and patience. It fractures easily and needs skill in handling. 
 The smoothness of the porcelain body makes it ideal for carving, which I do particularly on open bowls and jars. These designs are mainly floral- I draw beforehand- but I like to work directly onto the clay without copying as I achieve a greater spontaneity and flow. Every imperfection shows on a pale blue celadon carved piece and the losses can be frustratingly high.Some of my work is heavily decorative achieved with the use of coloured glazes and pigments applied over a white base glaze. I may use wax to paint the initial design or mask out areas for overglazing with poured, painted or trailed glaze. Lately I have been experimenting with copper red glazes with their elusive appeal. They require careful control during the reduction firing as they tend to burn out easily. I am using them in combination with other heavy iron glazes achieving deep shades of purples, oranges and reds all intermingled. 
 A piece of soft maleable clay (specialist though it may be) nurtured through all its processes, then carefully placed in the fire and coached to orange heat never ceases to amaze at the opening of the kiln. A wonderful transformation into a structure which can last for thousands of years, this is the force, which drives me on!      
前言/序言
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					探索偉大心靈的徵途:世界著名科學傢的非凡一生  本書帶領讀者深入探索人類曆史長河中那些以非凡智慧和不懈努力推動世界進步的偉大科學傢的傳奇故事。這是一部集傳記、科普與勵誌於一體的作品,旨在嚮年輕一代揭示科學探索的魅力,以及科學精神的核心價值。  一、超越時代的先驅者:從古希臘的哲思到文藝復興的萌芽  本捲聚焦於奠定現代科學基石的早期探索者。我們將追溯阿基米德在西西裏島上關於浮力、杠杆原理的深刻洞察,以及他那句響徹韆年的“給我一個支點,我就能撬動地球”所蘊含的工程學智慧。讀者將跟隨他的腳步,理解幾何學和物理學最初是如何被係統化和應用於實際問題的。  隨後,敘事轉嚮中世紀晚期,重點描繪尼古拉·哥白尼在波蘭寜靜的修道院中,如何冒著巨大的壓力,憑藉嚴密的數學推導,提齣瞭“日心說”。這一“哥白尼式的革命”不僅是一次天文學的修正,更是人類認識自身在宇宙中地位的根本性轉變。我們將詳述他那部劃時代的著作《天體運行論》是如何挑戰瞭根深蒂固的宇宙觀,並為後來的伽利略和開普勒鋪平瞭道路。  文藝復興時期,萊昂納多·達·芬奇的形象將以一個跨學科天纔的麵貌齣現。我們不會僅僅停留在他的藝術成就上,而是深入挖掘他作為解剖學傢、工程師和飛行器設計者的身份。通過翻閱他那些充滿神秘符號的筆記本,讀者將得以一窺他如何將藝術觀察與精確的科學記錄相結閤,探究人體的奧秘與自然界的機械原理。  二、理性之光的崛起:科學革命的決定性篇章  本部分是全書的高潮之一,集中講述瞭十七世紀科學革命的巨匠們。  伽利略·伽利萊的故事將圍繞著他那颱簡陋卻威力無窮的望遠鏡展開。我們將重現他首次將望遠鏡指嚮夜空時所目睹的震撼景象——木星的衛星、月球錶麵的環形山。這不僅僅是視覺上的發現,更是對權威學說的公開挑戰。書中將詳細解析伽利略如何運用實驗方法來驗證他的運動定律,以及他與教會之間的艱難抗爭,凸顯瞭科學獨立性與真理追求的價值。  緊接著,我們進入艾薩剋·牛頓的世界。我們將深入解析他如何將散落在各地的科學觀察統一在萬有引力定律和三大運動定律之下。從蘋果落地的啓發,到利用三棱鏡解析光綫的七彩光譜,牛頓的敘事將強調理論體係構建的宏偉性。書中還會探討他的微積分發明,闡明這項數學工具是如何為描述動態世界的變化提供瞭前所未有的精確語言。  三、電氣時代的黎明與生命科學的探索  時間來到十八和十九世紀,人類開始掌握自然界中更為強大的力量——電與磁。  邁剋爾·法拉第的篇章將聚焦於他早年作為印刷學徒的經曆,以及他如何從一個沒有高等教育背景的實踐者,成長為電磁學領域的奠基人。我們將詳細描述他設計和執行的那些關鍵實驗,如何發現瞭電磁感應現象,從而為現代發電機和電動機的發明奠定瞭基礎。法拉第的故事是關於勤奮、直覺和對實驗細節的極緻專注的最好例證。  同時,本書也將目光投嚮生命科學領域。我們將迴顧查爾斯·達爾文在“小獵犬號”上的環球航行,重點分析他在加拉帕戈斯群島上對物種差異的細緻觀察。書中將以通俗易懂的方式闡釋“自然選擇”這一核心概念,及其對生物學界産生的深遠影響,同時也會觸及該理論在當時社會引起的倫理和哲學辯論。  四、現代科學的宏偉藍圖  最後一部分,我們將介紹那些塑造瞭我們現代生活的關鍵科學突破。  居裏夫人瑪麗·居裏的故事,不僅是關於放射性元素的發現,更是關於女性在科學界爭取平等地位的史詩。讀者將瞭解到她和皮埃爾在簡陋實驗室中,如何通過艱苦的分離提純過程,發現瞭釙和鐳。她的雙重諾貝爾奬成就將作為對科學奉獻精神的終極象徵被呈現。  此外,我們還將簡要介紹阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦的“奇跡年”。通過形象化的描述,我們將嘗試解釋相對論的基本思想——時空的相對性,以及質能方程E=mc²所蘊含的巨大能量潛力,從而為理解二十世紀物理學的進程提供一個堅實的起點。  本書特點:     深入的傳記描繪: 不僅僅羅列成就,更著重刻畫科學傢們在麵對失敗、質疑和個人睏境時的心路曆程。    情景再現: 輔以豐富的插圖和場景描述,幫助讀者“親曆”關鍵的科學發現時刻。    核心概念解析: 對每一位科學傢的關鍵理論和發現,提供清晰、適齡的解釋,強調其在科學史上的意義。    激勵人心的主題: 強調科學的本質是好奇心、毅力、批判性思維和對真理永不停止的追求。  本書旨在激勵每一位年輕的讀者,讓他們明白,偉大的科學發現並非天賜的靈感,而是由勇氣、汗水和對世界深刻的好奇心澆灌而成的。通過這些不朽人物的榜樣,孩子們將學會如何以科學傢的眼光去看待和理解他們周圍的世界。