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The focus of this series is engineering, broadly construed. It covers technological innovation from a range of periods and cultures, but centres on the technological achievements of the industrial era in the West, particularly in the nineteenth century, as understood by their contemporaries. Infrastructure is one major focus, covering the building of railways and canals, bridges and tunnels, land drainage, the laying of submarine cables, and the construction of docks and lighthouses. Other key topics include developments in industrial and manufacturing fields such as mining technology, the production of iron and steel, the use of steam power and chemical processes such as photography and textile dyes.

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151 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Technology

Page 8 of 8

The Architectural History of Canterbury Cathedral
  • Robert Willis
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 December 2010
    First published in:
    1845
  • Canterbury Cathedral, at the heart of the Church in England since the arrival of Augustine in Kent in 597 C.E., is remarkable for its extent, beauty and importance, for the variety of its architectural styles and the many structural changes which it has undergone over the years. In this 1845 work, the Reverend Robert Willis, who was Jacksonian Professor of the University of Cambridge, reproduces historical accounts of the destruction and rebuilding of the cathedral, for example by the monk and chronicler Gervase of Canterbury on the disastrous fire in 1174. He connects these sources to his own informed opinions and interpretations of the historical documents, and includes many illustrative wood engravings to aid the discussion. The modern reader will obtain a great insight into the motives that dictated such changes of plan and structure of this incredible building.

The Creators of the Age of Steel
  • William Tulloch Jeans
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1884
  • William Tulloch Jeans (1848–1907) was a parliamentary journalist with an interest in economics and technology. This book was first published in 1884, and comprises biographies of six men whom Jeans believed to have made significant contributions to the development of modern steel technology. The Bessemer process revolutionised steel-making, reducing the cost and allowing steel to replace the much more brittle iron in civil engineering projects such as bridges. Siemens' regenerative furnace allowed much more fuel-efficient manufacture of steel. Sir Joseph Whitworth developed a method of producing stronger steel by removing blowholes in the ingots. Sir John Brown's rolled steel was used in almost all the British navy's armour-plated ships. The work of Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and George Snelus on reducing phosphorus content in steel meant low-grade ores could be used. The combined researches of these men transformed modern industrial and engineering methods.

The Suez Canal
  • Letters and Documents Descriptive of its Rise and Progress in 1854–1856
  • Ferdinand de Lesseps
  • Translated by N. D’Anvers
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    24 February 2011
    First published in:
    1876
  • In the early 1850s the French diplomat and engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805–1894) revived earlier French plans to build a canal through the Isthmus of Suez. He saw the immense benefits such a canal would bring, reducing by 3000 miles the distance by sea between Bombay and London, and he was instrumental in its successful completion. These letters, published in this English translation in 1876, show how De Lesseps persuaded the Viceroy of Egypt to allow construction, and how he overcame opposition from Britain and Turkey. Letters to the Viceroy, Emperor Napoleon III, Members of Parliament, diplomats, and politicians throughout Europe, together with more personal letters to his wife, all illustrate his resolute determination to see his project succeed. This is an invaluable source, not only on the canal, but also on the politics of the major powers and European attitudes towards the Middle East and its people.

Correspondence of Josiah Wedgwood
  • Volume 3, Correspondence of Josiah Wedgwood 1781 to 1794
  • Josiah Wedgwood
  • Edited by Katherine Eufemia Farrer
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1906
  • Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795) was a master potter who pioneered the industrialisation of pottery manufacture during the early Industrial Revolution. His experimental work on ceramics resulted in many innovations in the production and decoration of pottery. This three-volume work, edited by his great-granddaughter Katherine Eufemia Farrer and published between 1903 and 1906, contains Wedgwood's letters to his business partner Thomas Bentley (1730–1780) and others. Wedgwood's highly successful partnership with Bentley is credited with the expansion and development of Wedgwood's reputation across Europe. The letters cover the years 1762 to 1794 and provide a lively account both of the growth of the business partnership and of Wedgwood's domestic life. Wedgwood maintained a keen interest in current affairs, and these volumes provide a fascinating glimpse into the society and domestic life of the late eighteenth century. Volume 3 covers 1781–1794.

A History of Wireless Telegraphy
  • Including Some Bare-Wire Proposals for Subaqueous Telegraphs
  • John Joseph Fahie
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1901
  • John Joseph Fahie (1846–1934) was an engineer for the Electric and International Telegraph Company before being posted overseas in the Indo-European Government Telegraph Department. He was also a respected historian whose History of Wireless Telegraphy (1899) sold out two impressions in little over a year. In this second edition (1901), he traces the development of wireless communication during the nineteenth century, drawing extensively from the correspondence and technical illustrations of inventors themselves. This edition was fully updated to take account of the latest advances in radio technology, including Marconi's latest public demonstrations. As a practising telegraph engineer, Fahie was in the perfect position not only to understand the significance of these developments, but to explain them to a non-specialist audience. Contemporary reviews indicate he did this with great success. His book gives an eyewitness account of the rise of radio technology that still fascinates scholars and enthusiasts today.

Correspondence of Josiah Wedgwood
  • Volume 2, Letters of Josiah Wedgwood 1772 to 1780
  • Josiah Wedgwood
  • Edited by Katherine Eufemia Farrer
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1903
  • Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795) was a master potter who pioneered the industrialisation of pottery manufacture during the early Industrial Revolution. His experimental work on ceramics resulted in many innovations in the production and decoration of pottery. This three-volume work, edited by his great-granddaughter Katherine Eufemia Farrer and first published between 1903 and 1906, contains Wedgwood's letters to his business partner, the Liverpool merchant Thomas Bentley (1730–1780). Wedgwood's highly successful partnership with Bentley is credited with the expansion and development of Wedgwood's reputation across Europe. The letters cover the years 1762 to 1794 and provide a lively account both of the growth of the business partnership and of Wedgwood's domestic life. Wedgwood and Bentley also maintained a keen interest in current affairs, and these volumes provide a fascinating glimpse into the society and domestic life of the late eighteenth century. Volume 2 covers 1772–1780.

Records of a Family of Engineers
  • Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    10 March 2011
    First published in:
    1912
  • Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), novelist and poet, was descended from a famous Scottish engineering family. His grandfather Robert, his father Thomas, two uncles and a cousin were all noted engineers, particularly known for their lighthouses. This family history, focusing particularly on his grandfather, was written while R. L. Stevenson was living in Samoa, and was published posthumously in 1912. It first outlines the history of the name 'Stevenson' from the thirteenth century. Chapter 1 begins in the mid-eighteenth century, and records Robert Stevenson's birth in 1772, and his father's death. The young Robert worked with his stepfather for the Northern Lighthouse Board and was its sole Engineer from 1808 to 1843. Chapter 2 describes his experiences in that role. Chapter 3 reproduces substantial extracts from Robert's own diary of the construction (1807–1811) of his most famous structure, the Bell Rock lighthouse off Arbroath, which revolutionised lighthouse design.

Principles of Mechanism
  • Designed for the Use of Students in the Universities, and for Engineering Students Generally
  • Robert Willis
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1841
  • Robert Willis (1800–1875) was a scientist, inventor and architectural historian of international repute. As Jacksonian Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge, he demonstrated specially made mechanical devices to huge audiences. First published in 1841, Principles of Mechanism provided the theory behind the demonstrations. He defined mechanism as the means by which any relations of motion could be realised. The book was extremely influential, with all books in English, French, and German on the subject for the next generation adopting Willis' classification and nomenclature. He worked closely with William Whewell, whose Mechanics of Engineering was published in the same year. These two books established the science of mechanism, and provided study materials for the rapidly growing engineering profession. The work became a standard textbook for engineering and mathematics students, with a second edition issued in 1870.

History of the Suez Canal
  • A Personal Narrative
  • Ferdinand de Lesseps
  • Translated by Henry Drummond Wolff
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    24 February 2011
    First published in:
    1876
  • In the early 1850s the French diplomat and engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805–1894) revived earlier French plans to build a canal through the Isthmus of Suez, and, thanks to his good relations with the Viceroy of Egypt, won approval for the project in the face of British and Turkish opposition. This 1870 lecture reveals de Lesseps' enchantment with the desert and its people, his determination to complete the canal, and his annoyance at British antagonism. By 1875, when this English translation by Sir Henry Wolff was published, the canal had been open for six years and the British position had shifted dramatically. The government bought Egypt's shares in the Canal Company, and Wolff was chosen by Disraeli to speak in Parliament in support of the purchase. De Lessep's book remains an invaluable source on the canal, the politics of the major powers, and European attitudes towards the Middle East.

The Book of Sun-Dials
  • Margaret Gatty
  • Published online:
    01 March 2011
    Print publication:
    28 October 2010
    First published in:
    1872
  • Margaret Gatty (1809–1873) was an English writer best known for her researches on sundials and British seaweeds. After marrying the Rev. Alfred Gatty in 1839, she moved to Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, where she pursued her literary and scientific studies. This volume, first published in 1872, contains detailed descriptions of various styles of sundials, many taken from Gatty's own collection. Over 350 sundials from across Britain and Europe are described, and each sundial's location is noted in this work, which was one of the first popular books on the subject. Examples included range from portable sundials to early Saxon sundials, as well as the more familiar church sundials. This volume is one of Gatty's best known works, and remains a valuable reference for the various types of sundials and the variations and similarities in their mottoes. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=gattma

James Nasmyth, Engineer
  • An Autobiography
  • James Nasmyth
  • Edited by Samuel Smiles
  • Published online:
    10 November 2010
    Print publication:
    10 June 2010
    First published in:
    1883
  • This autobiography was first published in 1883, and recounts the life of the Scottish scientist and inventor James Nasmyth (1808–1890), who was arguably the last of the early pioneers of the machine tool industry, most famously remembered for his invention of the steam hammer. He also produced and manufactured several other important machine tools, including a hydraulic press which used water pressure to force tight-fitting machine parts together. All of these machines became popular in manufacturing, and all are still in use today in modified forms. Nasmyth retired from business in 1856 at the age of just 48, and pursued his various hobbies including astronomy; he was co-author of The Moon: Considered as a Planet, a World, and a Satellite (1874) with James Carpenter. This autobiography follows a chronological order, and a list of Nasmyth's inventions is given at the end of the book.

Page 8 of 8