What is superconductivity? How was it discovered? What are the properties of superconductors, how are they applied now, and how are they likely to become widely used in the near future? These are just some of the questions which this book by two leading authorities in the field sets out to answer. Starting with the discovery of superconductivity over eighty years ago, the book guides the reader through the many years of subsequent exploration, right up to the latest sensational findings.Written in a lively, nontechnical style, this book makes ideal background reading for any school or college-level study of superconductivity. The authors paint detailed pictures of the phenomena involved without mathematical formalism, appealing instead to physical intuition.