The Battery: How Portable Power Sparked a Technological Revolution

by Henry R. Schlesinger

“Henry Schlesinger is playful and intelligent and obscenely well read.” — Richard Zacks, author of The Pirate Hunter "Henry Schlesinger’s fascinating and superbly researched history of the battery is the story of civilization as we know it." — Michael Belfiore, author of The Department of Mad Scientists Henry Schlesinger’s The Battery is the first popular history of the technology that harnessed electricity and powered the greatest scientific and technological advances of our time. If you like Wired Magazine and popular science books, you'll love the "hidden history" of The Battery .

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction, Technology, Ebooks, Microhistory, Chemistry

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Will Byrnes]

Henry Schlesinger - image from Harper Collins

In The Battery, Henry Schlesinger offers an interesting and entertaining look at the history of a piece of technology that is usually overlooked. The humble battery has played a crucial supporting role in the advancement of the tools of our civilization, the character actor who leaves the paparazzi to the stars while it supports show after show after show. Without the battery we might still be sending messages by pony or smoke signal. Without the battery our entire microminiaturized contemporary world is inconceivable. Without the battery, there would have been no telegraph, no wireless, and try starting your car without one. And just as supporting performers outnumber the headliners, batteries are ubiquitous in modern life. It is quite remarkable how diverse batteries have been in type, materials and size. There are some surprises here. One might think of electric cars only in terms of 21st century high-tech, but the first serious attempts to develop electric cars took place in the late 19th century. As was true then, the biggest obstacle to be overcome in developing electric automobiles today is designing batteries that can provide sufficient power to travel long distances without costing too much in dollars, weight and safety. So, while we have come vast distances in some forms of battery power, it is clear that in others we still have a long way to go.

If I have any gripe with the book it is that the illustrations offered look like they were cadged from a public clipart collection. They offer quaint images of elderly products, but provide limited illumination. It might have been better to use higher quality images, ones that included explanations of the items' parts and how they functioned. And because there is considerable star power in the technology that batteries helped develop, the author seems at times to wander a bit too far in pursuing those bright lights before recovering and returning to the stolid core of his subject matter.

Still, a good read, entertaining and illuminating. Of particular interest given the recent (2019) awarding of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for their work on developing the lithium battery.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov]

How portable power sparked a technological revolution

- Well-written book with a primarily historical perspective

- Many fascinating facts and applications of portable power

- Not strong on predictions of future materials and uses

- Now over ten years from when it was published

I will keep my eyes open for the book that explores how we will successfully harness and store all the energy generated from non-fossil fuel electrical sources.

[Steve]

I have mixed feelings about this book (I know, I know, my geek is showing). On the one hand, I learned a lot, and Schlesinger does a good job of keeping a potentially dry subject lively and engaging. But on the other hand, this book really isn't about batteries so much as all of the other things that batteries made possible. I learned all kinds of interesting things about telegraphs and stock tickers and cathode ray tubes, but I feel like I still know very little about batteries, which was the whole reason I read the book in the first place. Yes, Schlesinger covers the early development of the battery in great detail, but as the book progressed I got the distinct impression that Schlesinger was much more interested in talking about all of the technologies that surrounded the battery than about the batteries themselves. For instance, you might think that by the end of a book like this one, a book that chronicles the history of the battery, you would understand why we have "AA" and "AAA" batteries along with "C" and "D" batteries, but no "B" batteries. And yet, I still have no idea! I guess I was expecting this book to be mostly about batteries with some discussion of the technologies that they spawned, but it turned out to be the other way around.

[Katherine Cowley]

As a non-scientist who wishes I knew more about how and why the world and things in it work, I really enjoy popular science writing. This book tells the history of the battery--making more general connections to the history of electricity.

Things I found really interesting:
-They say that mother is the necessity of invention, but it took a long time after the invention of the battery to come up with more than a couple small uses.
-There was a time, what with your house being wired and all, that it looked like there was no longer a place for the battery--you could just plug in anything you needed. That is, until you fast-forwarded a few decades to small, portable, consumer electronics.
-While I've read about it in other books (Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, Empires of Light, and The Shocking History of Electric Fishes) it was really interesting to read about early discoveries in electricity. Of all the books I've read, this one pays the most attention to the small strides taken forward on the battery. Now I know the difference between wet cells and dry cells, primary and secondary batteries, and more.
-The battery was extremely important for the development of the telegraph, and there's a large section on this in the book.


The book had a lot of long chapters at the beginning, covering early discoveries in electricity and batteries, as well as battery applications, and a lot of short chapters at the end, especially as you get into 20th and 21st century applications. I would've enjoyed some more detail in the closing chapters. And while I liked the focus on the people and the stories throughout, I wish the book had done a little more to actually explain the science and how/why things worked. After reading this book I feel like there are a lot of subjects that I'm more aware of that I understand less of.

[Lauren]

It was interesting! However, by now this book is 10 years old and ALOT has changed and advanced since 2010. The history was fun though!

[Mike Lisanke]

Yet another history book.... it's not like I don't care for anecdotes about historic figures or how they influences technology (which I love) and its developments, but; every history I've ever read has some of the authors bias and is open their interpretation of historical evidence. I'm much more interested in the technical facts (those which can be checked and maybe even confirmed) that I didn't already know. I'm especially interested in battery technology but got little or nothing of new information about batteries from the histories given... especially because much of the histories were about electricity and magnetism (yes, essential to battery tech But not battery tech) and few if Any history of battery technology principles (except Volta and his pile)... as if there weren't important people or developments of Actual modern batteries. To me, either the book's title was poor or the book did Not achieve it's goal.

[Shane Phillips]

Zzzzzzz......

[Mike]

The author has a clear, conversational writing style that is both informative and enjoyable. While I am one of the more technologically oriented people that he mentions at the end of the book (and did hope for more technical material), I did enjoy his book and you should, also.

The book tries to present a balanced look at both storage/generation of electricity and it uses. Of course, in the earliest times there was no "usage", just discovery and philosophizing. There were a couple of minor errors or omissions which I caught only because I had read in-depth coverage of a particular invention or time period, but mostly the facts are correct and well presented.

I suspect some people might disagree with how the book is apportioned (battery versus application) or its length (I would have liked a longer more detailed book), but these are minor quibbles. If you read this you will have an inside line on how our knowledge of electricity began, how people investigated it, created it, and developed our fondness for it.

[Balhau]

This is a very pedagogical book full of very interesting curiosities. Here you'll have a journey through the history of electricity and, in particular through the history of the electrical battery. During the read of this book I annotated a record of 14 times. One of my favorite is (spoiler alert)

"Later, when William Gladstone, the future prime minister, asked what possible good his tiny electrical motor was, Faraday was said to have responded 'I have no idea, but no doubt you'll find some way to tax it'"

The book is full of history content and with very nice illustrations of some of the most iconic electric engineering achievements. In a overall this is a must read to someone interested in the history of electricity and in science in general.

[Becky]

The author starts with the mysterious electrical properties of amber noted in the “ancient” age and continues through to the current innovations of micro- and bio- batteries. This book meanders on in story form, often “chasing rabbits” and opining tenuous connections. Quite fascinating, although occasionally arrogant and derisive. I enjoyed learning the historical and scientific vignettes, especially as they were “dumbed down” for someone like me, who doesn’t have any knowledge of this subject.

[Ryan]

I burned through the first two-thirds of this book and learned a lot about the people who paved the way for harnessing electricity. I loved the frog-bimetallic debate about the source of electricity. Somewhere along the way this book started to drag and I read a couple other things before gritting my teeth to knuckle thru the final chapters. MK didn't think I'd do it, what with my whole shelf of unfinished non-fiction books - but I surprised her.

[David Teter]

A rather well researched and interesting read on the evolution of the battery and how it enabled a series of disruptive technologies. The book does a great job with the inventors and their personalities. There was a lot here that I wasn't aware of. The WW2 section was really interesting. I didn't know that mercury cell batteries were once classified as TOP SECRET.

[Jack B]

A great history of wire and wireless telegraphy, among other things, related to the battery. Cool writing and flawlessly edited, if anyone cares about such superfluous details anymore.

[Chris Howard]

As i am now working for a company that designs and manufacturers the next generation of energy storage devices, i figured i should get familiar with the battery's history.

[Richard]

History of batteries and the things they powered. Good and interesting.

[Bipin]

A few weeks back, I was in dire need of a battery and searched my whole house twice to find one, but couldn't. Eventually bought one the next day. Co-incidentally, on the same day, found this book in our college library when browsing the shelves. On any other day, I would have overlooked this book. On that particular day, it caught my attention and I started reading it. And I was very glad that I did.
I was highly skeptical about the book (I endured an Electrochemistry course during my Master's) but the author did a good job of making it interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. I wish I had read it before the electrochemistry episode, but better late than never. Even though the book is about batteries, there are significant detours about the 'new' technologies that used batteries and stories behind their emergence (telegraphs, transatlantic telegraphic line, radio, watches, transistors...).
By the end of the book, I'm a little wiser about batteries and their evolution than I was before. Next time I hold a battery in my hand, I would definitely take a moment to awe at the efforts that were put in achieve the current compact form from its initial design of Layden jar which harnessed static electricity, through the voltaic pile, a stack of electrodes and the galvanic cells with sloshing electrolytes to the modern dry cells packing in more power to meet the increasing energy demands of the technology-rich and energy-hungry generation. Although the battery development had plateaued over the last two decades, considering the current energy scenario, I guess there will be another surge (scientific community predict otherwise.)

[Bernie4444]

Book wets your whistle for techno-history

You can only say so much about batteries. But if it can be said it is in this book. There is a disclaimer that apologizes if something was missed. I did not miss anything.

The book starts with a fundamental history of the discovery of electricity. Then we cover several fields that focus on the use of electricity. Slowly batteries are introduced as they start to come of age. Then how they are used and will be used.

I had great fun as it was not the battery (this is not a technical how-to book) but the peripheral information that I found fun and fascinating. How companies got their names. The chapter's introductory statements made me want to look up all the people that made them. Sketches and pictures added to the understanding.

I used to listen to Wolfman Jack on my transistor radio. Still have my Pulsar Watch (take two hands to display). I had a crystal radio set. Had several Heath kits (including my first CRT terminal.) It was like going down memory lane.

The selected bibliography is perfect for future reading. Speaking of future reading I need to go back through this book because I forgot a lot of the names.

I am one of those double dippers buy buying the Kindle version for listening to while at work and the hard copy to re-read and keep on the library shelf. Evident electronic books, though convent, do not save me money or space.

[Roger]

This book surprised a little considering it is 10 years old. It traces the early experiments with static electricity. lightning, and the beginning of liquid chemical based batteries. I was unaware that the early telegraph, phonograph, telephone, etc. were all originally powered with batteries, not electricity.

For generations as cities electrified, rural areas of America depended on batteries to power their radios, small appliances, etc. As technology advanced to vacuum tubes, transistors, circuit boards, and finally the computer chip, batteries followed along to power these increasingly more portable devices. Rechargeable batteries opened even more doors

The real advent of batteries for the mass market came with teenagers acceptance of the transistor radio. The military, cell phones, computers, and even satellites depend more and more on battery applications.

This book is a layman’s level science lesson on the battery.

[Matthew Gibb]

This is a very interesting book that goes far back in history and chronologically describes the various gadgets that were invented as new battery tech emerged. From the Leyden Jar to the current Lithium Ion batteries and even some descriptions of super small future batteries for limited purposes are described. Much of this book isnt about batteries,but that doesnt detract from it being interesting. The stuff about powerful electro-magnetics was really interesting. I was hoping to learn more about how batteries function,but this is more about how they are used and it even seems to parallel with how AI is a new thing,but we have quite developed all its possible uses just yet. Flashlights for policeman and small transistor radios led this 20th. century parade of use for batteries and vaccum tubes and even semi-conductors.

[Geoff Graham]

This book is an easy read with the author covering his subject in an entertaining and non technical manner. It is more a general account of the history of electricity using the battery as the central theme. So dont't expect a detailed description of batteries, their development and chemistry. Instead you will be given an account of the discovery of electricity and its development including historic figures such as Faraday, Franklin and Edison. A lot of time is spent on the early discoveries and less on the later years so you get the feeling that the author is skimming over the subject towards the end, however, having said that, this is an enjoyable book that is both informative and interesting.

[Bill Conrad]

I have been fascinated by batteries for a very long time. The battery was a really fascinating account of the history of this amazing device. This book was more of a broad look into what the battery made possible than a technical look or an exact historical account. It reminded me of the James Burke series Connections where the battery was central to so many different technologies. I really enjoyed the overall structure of this book and I learned a lot. A definite recommended read.
I would have liked the book to have one more chapter. A history of the companies who developed the battery. Specifically I would like to know more about Burgess batteries.

[Ralphz]

What an interesting look at something we never think about until they run out: Batteries.

This actually is more about the development of batteries and the electronics they have run through the years, from telegraphs to cellphones. It’s hard to separate the two because for a long time, electronics were run by batteries since there were few central electricity lines to houses.

As the lines finally were built, the larger electrics didn’t need batteries, but the smaller ones did. Batteries became the energy sources for military uses like missiles and bombs to consumer uses like transistor radios to pocket calculators.

Finally, we get to portable computers, and unfortunately the book stops before the era of electric vehicles. I would have loved to see what he would say about the current state of EV batteries.

[William Trammell]

This book is as much about the history of electricity, and the devices (ie. the telegraph) that required battery power. It is still a very interesting and informative book. It covers all the important figures in the development of battery, and easy to understand explanations of battery technology. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this portable source of electrical power.

[Katharine]

Written in a way that is easy for someone with no background in technology to understand. Really interesting to read through the evolution of something we use daily, sometimes even unknowingly. I do wonder if AI helped in writing this based upon one pop culture reference being mentioned incorrectly. Still found it a worthwhile read! I learned a lot without being overwhelmed. Personally - would be a good one to reread to see if I could pick up more.

[Iamreddave]

This is a great book on the various stages involved in the invention of the battery.
Published in 2010 it only hints at the vital role grid, car and other batteries will play in the future. But by going through the history of how improvements were made and uses made of them it gives a good guide to how batteries might continue to improve.

[Todd]

More of a rambling survey of electricity and electronics history. Doesn't say much about the history of batteries. Someone developed them, they got smaller and more powerful. Battery tech lags device tech and may be slowly catching up.

[Elizabeth]

I thought this was a readable narrative history of the battery. I’m sure it’s not 100% thorough and it doesn’t go into much detail about the new lithium rechargeable batteries, but nonetheless it was enjoyable and fun.

[Samuel Villa-Real]

OK, assumes you can memorize all these different names of scientists.

[Semih]

Excellent narrative of an interesting history.

[Evan Þ.]

The history of batteries is unexpectedly fascinating, especially how they were invented ages before they were understood and before any use for them was developed. And then, as electrical appliances were developed, they suddenly became very useful as the electric grid struggled to get built out.

Schlesinger doesn't go into detail, but he provides overarching threads and vignettes that grabbed my interest very well.