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The article by I. K. Howard (1) on notation in thermodynamics and on the role of Clausius in establishing such notation, stimulated me to take from my shelf a book that I picked up at a university book sale in Aberdeen six years ago. As I had thought, it is the 1867 translation into English of Clausius’ nine seminal memoirs to which Howard refers. The spine of the book is simply labeled, in gold lettering, Clausius on Heat; the full title The Mechanical Theory of Heat with its Application to the Steam Engine and to the Physical Properties of Bodies appears on the title page. Since Howard identifies this volume as being of great historical value I thought it appropriate to add one or two reflections on perusal of my own copy. On the spine under the abbreviated title referred to above is the name Hirst. This turns out to be T. Archer Hirst FRS, Professor of Mathematics in University College, London, who on the title page of the volume is credited with being the Editor. University College, London was a relatively new institution in 1867. It is interesting to speculate on what the connection was between Clausius and Hirst that led to the latter’s being commissioned to edit the volume. Perhaps Howard, or someone else familiar with the development of thermodynamics in the second half of the 19th century, can provide an answer. Professor Tyndall wrote a brief introduction to the book. I have to point out that a previous user of my copy has written in pencil on this page: In 9 sentences the first personal pronoun is used 16 times!
Professor Tyndall begins his introduction by saying that nearly 17 years earlier he had translated for the Philosophical Magazine the first of the series of memoirs by Clausius. This clearly corresponds with Howard’s date of 1850 for the first translation of Clausius’ work into a journal using the English language. I was not aware until I read this article that I am in possession of a volume which, if not quite the scientific equivalent of a first folio Shakespeare, is nevertheless of considerable historical interest. I therefore hardly like to inform readers that I paid £1.50 for it! Literature Cited- Howard, I. K. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 505–508.
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