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Engines and Enterprise: The Life and Work of Sir Harry Ricardo

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At first glance this might seem a technical treatise - and in fact those who study internal combustion engines will find sufficient detail to fascinate them. It is, however, a biography which covers the technical, business and personal life of a man whose contributions to transportation technology are far more widespread than his fame. The descendant of families accomplished in architecture and the arts, Ricardo was Cambridge educated at a time when most engineers in Britain learned from apprenticeship. His career spanned nearly seven decades, and his technological innovations found their way into motorcars, trucks, railroad engines and aircraft. John Reynolds pens a good read, and it will appeal to all with an interest in transportation history.

This is a revised, slightly expanded version of the original 1999 edition by Sutton Publishing. This book fills in much of the detail that Ricardo omitted from his autobiography. More importantly, the newer work takes us beyond his retirement in 1965 and covers the period up to Sir Harry's death in 1974. The author has provided us with an excellent portrayal of the research and development work of the Ricardo Company. This company, now known as Ricardo Consulting Engineers Ltd., is still in business on the South Coast of England. For engine aficionados this account of power plant development is a "must read."

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