I found a book I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in
electronics. The title is "Much Ado About Almost Nothing", a history of
electricity and electronics. It has a novel approach in that it follows the
path of the electron (which is the "almost nothing" in the title).

There are many delightful stories of inventors and discoverers (Ohm, Henry,
Kelvin, Hertz, Galvani, Volta, etc.), including some truly strange
characters like Nikola Tesla and Henry Cavendish.

This is the first book I read in which the fundamental principles appear as
they were discovered, which makes for an easy read. You could give it to a
high-school student and, after reading it, he or she would know how a
transistor works or what induction is.

There is more information on the book's web-site:
www.historyofelectronics.com

Marcel Brodmann