The development of such concepts as "magnetic pole" can be traced to Gilbert's book which has long been regarded as a great foundation work in the study of magnetism and electricity, the result of 17 years "intense labour and research" on the author's part. However, little biographical information is available about Gilbert, principally because of the destruction of Colchester during the Civil War, and of the Royal College of Physician's building and his London home, Wingfield house, in the Great Fire of London. Gilbert practised as a doctor in London and was appointed physician to Queen Elisabeth's court, probably sometime after the publication of De Magnete, which is considered "the first great scientific work published in England" (Horblit). Two other editions were published in the 17th century, both at Stettin, in 1628 and 1633.

"Gilbert divided his work into six books, the first of which gave an outline of the history of magnetism and introduced his new hypothesis that the earth itself was a magnet. In chapter 2 of the second book, Gilbert distinguishes the effects of electricity from those of magnestism, thus establishing electrical studies as a separate discipline; he also introduced the terms 'electricity,' 'electric force,' and 'electric attraction,' and described the first instrument (the versorium) for measuring electricity. In the remainder of his treatise, Gilbert discussed the five known movements associated with magnets ... and discussed them in terms of the earth's magnestism, using data obtained from experiments with a small spherical magnet ('terella') which, he believed, duplicated the earth's magnetism in miniature" (Norman).