Anyone who tries to argue that the discovery of the electron dates from
1899 not 1897 seems as doomed as those pedants who insist that the new
millennium begins in 2001. That said, J. J. Thomson and The Discovery of the
Electron, a “centenary” celebration of his life and work by E. A. Davis and I.
J. Falconer, is an excellent commemoration, combining history, biography and
facsimiles of his key papers in a readable volume. Published by Taylor &
Francis, £16.95, ISBN 07484 0720 0.
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