Abstract
MR. LUCKIESH, who is well known as the author of a number of works upon illumination of a somewhat technical nature, has in this new volume written an interesting popular account of the development of artificial lighting. The influence of light upon civilisation is a fascinating subject. The author traces its early origins in the initial chapters of the book, which are illustrated by photographs of primitive pine-splinters, oil lamps, etc., and alludes particularly to its use as an element in religious ceremonial. Other chapters deal with early gas lighting, electric incandescent lamps and arcs, and the “light of the future.” Later various applications of light—domestic, industrial, and spectacular—are discussed, and a chapter is devoted to artificial light in warfare. The type and paper are excellent, and there are insets of some remarkable photographs of lighting installations. The concealed lighting of the statue of Liberty in New York harbour forms an appropriate frontispiece, while several of the views of street lighting are striking; perhaps the most pleasing of all is a view of the Panama-Pacific Exposition at night. Generally speaking, the author has dealt with developments and applications of lighting in a popular manner rather than attempted a detailed analytical study of its effect upon civilisation, though the figures tracing the progressive diminution in the cost of light and its influence on health, safety, and efficiency are instructive. In the final chapter, entitled “Light—A Fine Art,” the author writes with enthusiasm on the applications of light and colour for spectacular and decorative purposes. At the end of the volume a series of references to works on illumination and an adequate index are provided.
Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization.
M.
Luckiesh
By. (The Century Books of Useful Science.) Pp. xiv + 366. (London: University of London Press, Ltd., 1920.) 12s. 6d. net.
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Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization . Nature 107, 486 (1921). https://doi.org/10.1038/107486b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/107486b0