Mill (Paperback)

by David Macaulay (Author) "Cotton must first be spun into yarn before it can be woven into cloth..." (more)
Key Phrases: breast wheel, overshot wheel, line shaft, Stone Mill, Yellow Mill, Zachariah Plimpton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In Mill, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, David Macaulay pays tribute to the historically important mills of 19th-century New England. Using close-up pen-and-ink illustrations, Macaulay thoroughly explains the Yankee ingenuity that went into the elaborate process of running machines that were generated by the flow of water. In the case of this cotton mill in the imaginary town of Wicksbridge, Macaulay also demonstrates how important the mill was to a community's economic and social viability. In one scene, he shows the men and women celebrating the framing of the mill with a festive, barn-raising-style party. Macaulay tracks the mill's history, expertly explaining how all its new fixtures and materials reflect the political and industrial changes in the country. For example, in 1852 the owner sides with his abolitionist wife and shuns the use of "Negro cloth," inexpensive cloth made from slave-picked cotton. Instead he decides to start producing multi-colored, finer fabrics--a decision that leads to the expansion of the mill and the introduction of the steam engine. This is a finely woven offering, filled with technical intricacies and intriguing historical details. But ultimately, Macaulay's Mill is generated by the human story that led to the building of New England's cotton mills--as well as their eventual demise. (Ages 9 and older) --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
This is another strikingly original lesson in history from the widely praised author/illustrator; the construction of a mill in a 19th-century Rhode Island town is "eloquently" depicted in text and "artistic, meticulous" drawings, said PW. All ages.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (October 30, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395520193
• ISBN-13: 978-0395520192
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, June 9, 2000

By	Jeremy M. Hanna (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mill (Hardcover)

Mill is, simply put, remarkably well crafted. In it, David Macaulay gives us a brief history of the beginnings of the textile industry in America, walks us through the planning and construction of four successively more complex mills, lavishly illustrates the buildings, the machines and their power sources and, at the same time, manages to thoroughly convince us that we would never want to work in one.

This last trick is subtle and, to my knowledge, doesn't appear in any of the other books in this series. From Cathedral, City and, to a lesser extent, Castle, you get the distinct feeling that these were great and noble projects that you would have loved to have been a part of. You get this sense too from Mill, but the heady rush that comes with the idea of building something from the ground up is tempered by small, fictional diary entries that betray the harshness of life for those who worked in the mills after their completion.

Mill is a strong contender for a place in your personal and permanent library. It is beautifully illustrated, historically grounded, thoroughly researched, accented with social commentary and, most importantly, it is an enjoyable, absorbing read.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Whole Cloth, March 14, 2002

By	William Brennan "Wildbill944" (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews

This is an important book. Written for children, it can be used just as effectively by adults to comprehend the beginnings of the industrial revolution in the United States. Learn and see how men tamed our rivers and how men, women and children were swallowed up in these great monuments to progress.

The illustrations are remakable. David Macaulay deftly describes and illustrates how the technology that made America a world industrial power came to the young new country and how American ingenuity improved it and made the nation into a world class economic juggernaut.

The author is a superb story teller, and anyone who would like to visualize the nature of mills and to understand the profound impact of this technology on our country should read it.

I highly recommend this great children's book to everyone.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mill, October 27, 2000

By	Akiko Ueno (Yokohama, Kanagawa Japan) - See all my reviews

A wonderful story that takes the reader through the life and times of an infant small village mill into the mature years of a 20th century factory-mill. Excellent illustrations, and fun storyline that allows the reader to become involved with the life of the mill. I loved it.