For the 4th and last Sunday in Advent, when all the four Advent candles are lit, it seems timely to find out more about the chemistry of candles themselves.

This work by the renowned scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) originates in another Christmas custom – the Royal Institution lectures for children. The six lectures cover all aspects of the subject – good and bad candles, with experiments to prove it, and even a version of lighting the Christmas pudding in the game of snapdragon, which involved setting light to a dish of warm brandy, raisins and plums.

This copy of Faraday’s work is part of the Campbell Brown collection of books on alchemy and chemistry, bequeathed by James Campbell Brown (1843-1910), the University’s first Professor of Chemistry.