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Book contains practical electrical knowledge, published shortly after introduction of lightbulbs
A library in Massachusetts got a pleasant surprise when a 19th-century book overdue by more than 100 years was returned.
“It’s never too late to return a library book,” said New Bedford Free Public Library Director Olivia Melo. That’s the message she hopes the public will get when they hear about how, in early June, a book last marked due back to the library by Dec. 10, 1903, finally found its way back to New Bedford.
The library typically has a 5-cent-per-day late fee, meaning a 119-year-late book would have had to pay over $2,100 in fines when it was returned. Luckily, the library’s late fee limit is $2.
According to Melo and special collections librarian Jodi Goodman, the book, titled “An Elementary Treatise on Electricity,” published in 1882, was found at West Virginia University among a private collection after it had been donated to the school. Discovering the New Bedford library slip under its cover, staff there reached out to the New Bedford library to see if there was interest in having it returned.
Goodman said the tome, by author James Clerk Maxwell, appears to be instructional/informative in nature, written during a time when electricity was in its early stages of being introduced for home use.
“It was a huge deal; emerging electricity was going to change everything,” she said, noting the publication’s timing three years after the first incandescent lightbulb had been patented by Thomas Edison. “So I think when this material was being published it was really cutting-edge.”
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About the author: A quick history lesson
A researcher by nature, Goodman also dug deeper to learn some things about Maxwell.
“He was British, a professor of experimental physics, an honorary fellow with a ton of degrees, but he died in November of 1879 before this was published,” she said, noting most of the material was originally written around 1874. “I found this piece interesting: it was the editor, William Garnett, and then a team of other people, who sat and figured out what to do with his manuscripts to put this together. They [the manuscripts] weren’t completely finished but they were very, very full.”
Goodman added that, while researching, she also found it interesting that Edison – often credited with leading electricity’s emergence – was much less formally educated than both Maxwell and Garnett.
What now?
While the book is back at its former home where, 100-plus years ago, it could have been checked out like any other selection, Goodman said because of its historic nature it will likely take residence within the library’s protected archives, where it can be accessed within the building but only upon request.
“So it’s not the kind of thing people would be able to take home with them,” she said.
A legacy lives on
At the time of the book’s publication, Goodman said some of the hot discussions around electricity included how to make a lightbulb last longer, and how to tame their brightness to suit smaller, indoor spaces. Pondering the significance of “An Elementary Treatise on Electricity,” Goodman wonders if the current digital era and its constant refinement are a case of history repeating itself.
“The digital age is still relatively recent,” she said. “This book is from a time when everything was changing, and now, everything is changing for us.
“In some ways, I’m kind of thrilled for Maxwell. It seems he wasn’t around to see it published but it’s interesting how his work continues to live.”
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