An Encyclopedia of the History of Technology (Routledge Companion Encyclopedias) [Paperback]

Ian McNeil (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415147921 | ISBN-13: 978-0415147927 | Publication Date: August 14, 1996 | Edition: New edition

Available for the first time in paperback, this volume includes twenty-two chapters by international experts covering the entire history of technology from humankind's earliest use of stone tools to the exploration of space. Written clearly and without unnecessary jargon, each chapter traces the development of its subject from earliest times to the present day, stressing the social context and its place in scientific thought.
* Usefully drawn with over 150 tables, drawings and photographs
* Two comprehensive indexes of names and subjects
* Essential reading for teachers and students in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Industrial History and Archaeology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A condensed summary of the history of technology ... very much to be welcomed.' - Royal Society of Arts Journal

'A comprehensive work of some 1,000-plus pages with extremely clear line drawings, good photographs and charts.' - Library Association Record

'Informative and comprehensive, remarkable in its coverage ... one of those valuable sources of information. It covers every aspect of technology from the Stone Age to the Space Age ... will undoubtedly help readers to get a grip on and feel of an enormous range of subjects ... An invaluable and practical addition to most office bookshelves or libraries.' - New Civil Engineer

'An amazing volume that treats in detail the history of technology ... incredible scope and value as an historical reference.' - Information Retrieval and Library Automation

'The authors represented in this book are to be congratulated for their readable and reliable surveys of the past and present status of the major areas where mankind has harnessed science for the production of useful products and processes.' - Choice

'Contain[s] a vast amount of reliable information over a very wide field. It is certainly a work of which I shall myself make frequent use ... it deserves to find a place ... in every reference library.' - Times Higher Education Supplement

'The coverage is excellent ... a most valuable single-volume source which for its comprehensiveness and ease of reference will earn its place in both specialist and general reference collections.' - Reference Reviews

'The encyclopedia's value as a reference work is enhanced by 7 tables and 158 figures, and by detailed, cross-referenced, name and subject indexes. I recommend it as essential reading for instructors and students of the history of science, technology and industry or for anyone interested in this field.' - American Scientist

About the Author

Ian McNeil is Rolt Research Fellow at the University of Bath and former Executive Secretary of the Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1062 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New edition edition (August 14, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415147921
• ISBN-13: 978-0415147927
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,862,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First rate handy one volume desk reference, January 13, 2009

By 

Paul Eckler (princeton jct, nj United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Encyclopedia of the History of Technology (Routledge Companion Encyclopedias) (Hardcover)

"An Encyclopedia of the History of Technology," edited by Ian McNeil, Routledge, London, NYC, 1990. This 1062 page hardback is a single volume, handy reference to the subject of technologies. It provides concise summaries of a wide variety of technologies including basic details on how the technology works, inventors, and end of chapter references for additional detail. Should a technology question arise, this is an excellent quick reference that gets you started with enough detail to learn what related subjects to search.

The book is organized into 21 broad subject chapters which give an indication of the breadth of coverage: Materials: Non-ferrous Metals, Ferrous Metals, Chemicals; Power: Water, Wind, Animal, Steam, Internal Combustion, Electricity, Engineering; Transport: Roads, Bridges, Vehicles, Inland Waterways, Ports, Shipping, Rail, Aeronautics, Spaceflight; Communications: Language, Writing, Printing, Information, Timekeeping, Computing, Telecommunications; Technology: Agriculture, Textiles, Clothing, Building, Domestic Interiors, Public Utilities, Weapons, Armor.

I was especially impressed with the detail of the metallurgy section, which includes processing aluminum and magnesium as well as iron and steel. The coverage seemed thorough and surprisingly clearly written. Numerous illustrations help make the points. I noticed there are a few limits to coverage. Silicon is not included. Plastics are covered too briefly for a chemist. Integrated circuits are mentioned and get one paragraph, but there is no discussion of fabrication technologies. Gold mining is mentioned, but there is no discussion of ore processing. Germanium is not mentioned. One concludes that coverage is best of ancient technologies that led to the 19th Century industrial revolution, i.e., the machine age. Coverage of 20th Century topics is hit or miss, with some topics incomplete or absent.

A second limitation is that the book is British in origin and most examples are chosen from UK. US inventions are also described when appropriate, but the examples are often to foreign, unknown (to us) places. Plus, European construction details make those descriptions not applicable to the US situation.

This is an excellent desk reference which history and technology buffs will find fascinating. Indexed. Illustrated. End of chapter references.