Sam Eyde. Founding Father Extraordinary

When Norway wrested itself free from the union with Sweden in 1905, it became, not least in a cultural sense, a truly independent nation state on a par with its fellows; however it still lagged behind in terms of industry and finance. It was in these areas that Sam Eyde (1866-1940) was destined to make a pioneering contribution to the nation's progress. Together with Kristian Birkeland, a physicist specializing in studies of the aurora borealis, Eyde, an engineer, developed what was known at the electric arc method of extracting saltpetre from the nitrogen of the air. Thanks to Norway's virtually unlimited access to water power, their joint invention paved the way for an artificial fertilizer industry with prodigious growth potential. This book is the definitive biography of the colourful, groundbreaking inventor and entrepeneur Sam Eyde.