This two-volume account, first published in 1870, uses writings and correspondence by Michael Faraday to create a narrative of his life. Faraday's foundational work in physics and chemistry, notably on electricity, changed the course of modern science and technology. Volume I covers the first forty years of his life.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867) made foundational contributions in the fields of physics and chemistry, notably in relation to electricity. One of the greatest scientists of his day, Faraday held the position of Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain for over thirty years. Not long after his death, his friend Henry Bence Jones attempted 'to join together his words, and to form them into a picture of his life which may be almost looked upon as an autobiography'. Jones' compilation of Faraday's manuscripts, letters, notebooks, and other writings resulted in this Life and Letters (1870) which remains an important resource for learning more about one of the most influential scientific experimentalists of the nineteenth century. Volume 1 (1791-1830) covers Faraday's earliest years as an errand boy and bookbinder's apprentice, his arrival at the Royal Institution as an assistant and his early publications on electricity.