The Origins of Field Theory

Because the book really maps out a clear development of thought, its many little imponderables can be easily overlooked. To understand field theory in its historical perspective, one can't do much better and it's easy to do far, far worse. Now according to Dr. Diane Davis Villemaire (of McGill University...an association that is always a good sign) "In the last analysis, it was a personality conflict with the discipline that made him glad enough to leave it to people like A. Rupert Hall and L. Pierce Williams, history of science professor at Cornell during the 1960s." (page 193 of E.A. Burtt, Historian and Philosopher). I don't see any conflict with this book of L. Pierce Williams and Burtt's Metaphysical foundations of physical science. None whatsoever. In fact the two book beautifully dovetail each other in my mind.