num_pages: 950
description: ‘[This reprinting is] most welcome. Even German readers have often to rely on the microform version of Koenigsberger which is part of the Landmark of Science collection. A book reprint will be much more useful. And since there is no biographical account of Helmholtz up until today, Koenigsberger remains the most important source...’—Dr. Henning SchmidgenHermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (1821-94) had a huge influence on German science during the mid nineteenth century, bringing it to the forefront of world attention. He was a physicist and psychologist who made seminal contributions in both fields. His Treatise on Physiological Optics (reprinted last year by Thoemmes Press) transformed the study of vision by integrating its physical and psychological dimensions. Helmholtz explained the mechanism of ‘accommodation’, invented the ophthalmoscope, and revived the three-colour theory of vision first proposed in 1801 by Thomas Young. He also invented the telestereoscope, produced some novel visual illusions, and argued for the involvement of knowledge in perception. Helmholtz was an inspiration to many others—notably his student Heinrich Hertz, the discoverer of radio waves.Leo Koenigsberger’s three-volume Hermann von Helmholtz (1902-1903) is one of the great scientific biographies of the early twentieth century. Exhaustive and scholarly, it contains a wealth of detail about Helmholtz’s personal and professional life. The books are illustrated with remarkable portraits, and a facsimile of a handwritten letter from Helmholtz to his father is included in an appendix. Koenigsberger’s work remains the standard life of Helmholtz to this day. It has never been fully translated into English, and even in the original German it is scarce. At a time when interest in the life and work of Helmholtz is increasing across the world, Thoemmes Press is pleased to be able to make this vital source more widely available.
language: English
title: Koenigsberger's Life of Hermann von Helmholtz: Koenigsbergers Leben des Hermann von Helmholtz
titlecomplete: Koenigsberger's Life of Hermann von Helmholtz: Koenigsbergers Leben des Hermann von Helmholtz
publisher: Thoemmes Continuum