De Magnete is recognized as the worlds first published work on the phenomenon of electricity and magnetism, and one of the greatest works in the history of scientific discovery.  Gilbert himself has been called "The Galileo of Magnetism" and "The Father of the Scientific Method of Investigation. His book influenced Kepler, Bacon, Boyle, Newton, and in particular, Galileo, who used his theories to support his own proof of the correctness of Copernicus in cosmology.

 In this book, William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elizabeth and to James I of England,  coined the word "electrica" for the effect produced when amber or other bodies were rubbed.  Gilbert also noted that some material can be electrified and some cannot.  He coined the term "electric" for any material that could be charged by rubbing, and the term "non-electric" for materials that could not be charged.  These terms were used until the time of Benjamin Franklin.