"Let this book be dedicated to the chemists of the newer generation, who will not wish to reject all inferences from conjecture or surmise, but who will not care to speculate concerning that which may be surely known. The fascination of a growing science lies in the work of the pioneers at the very borderland of the unknown, but to reach this frontier one must pass over well traveled roads; of these one of the safest and surest is the broad highway of thermodynamics."
"There are ancient cathedrals which, apart from their consecrated purpose, inspire solemnity and awe. Even the curious visitor speaks of serious things, with hushed voice, and as each whisper reverberates through the vaulted nave, the returning echo seems to bear a message of mystery. The labor of generations of architects and artisans has been forgotten, the scaffolding erected for their toil has long since been removed, their mistakes have been erased, or have become hidden by the dust of centuries. Seeing only the perfection of the completed whole, we are impressed as by some superhuman agency. But sometimes we enter such an edifice that is still partly under construction; then the sound of hammers, the reek of Tobacco, the trivial jests bandied from workman to workman, enable us to realize that these great structures are but the result of giving to ordinary human effort a direction and a purpose.
Science has its cathedrals, built by the efforts of a few architects and of many workers. In these loftier monuments of scientific thought a tradition has arisen whereby the friendly usages of colloquial speech give way to a certain severity and formality. While this may sometimes promote precise thinking, it more often results in the intimidation of the neophyte. Therefore we have attempted, while conducting the reader through the classic edifice of thermodynamics, into the workshops where construction is now in progress, to temper the customary severity of the science in so far as is compatible with clarity of thought. But since it is improbable that we have been successful in this endeavor, to more than a limited extent, we shall take this opportunity of conversing very informally with the reader concerning our book and its purpose......"
Gilbert
Newton Lewis
Merle Randal
Berkeley, California
1922