International in its sweep, vivid in its execution and original in its argument, this 'meticulous and fascinating' (Guardian) account of the worldwide industrial revolution.

The 'industrial revolution' is most commonly presented as a history of machines or a relentless process of innovation springing out of the eighteenth century. But, as this vivid social history reminds us, machines are mere gadgets unless there are people to make good use of them.

In The Industrial Revolutionaries, Gavin Weightman charts of the spread of industrialism from Britain to Europe, North America and Japan, resurrecting many unsung pioneers from obscurity, and putting a few luminaries in their place. He interweaves accounts of the achievements of giants such as Trevithick, Wedgwood and Edison with lesser known characters who carried industrialism from one nation to another.

The Industrial Revolutionaries is a panoramic history, taking the reader from the ironworks of rural England to the emergence of the few great powers at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

International in its sweep, vivid in its execution and original in its argument, this 'meticulous and fascinating' (Guardian) account of the worldwide industrial revolution is now available in paperback.

About the Author
Gavin Weightman is social historian based in London. His books include the best-selling London River: A History of the Thames, The Frozen Water Trade, an account of the American natural ice industry, and most recently a history of wireless, Signor Marconi's Magic Box.

Reviews
Ambitious... clear-sighted... fascinating... Instead of simply replacing one set of triumphalist myths with an alternative one, Weightman practises real history. -- Brian Morton * Sunday Herald *
Weightman paints a subtle and varied picture... [he] has managed the difficult task of producing an account of the industrialising world that gives proper honour to his chosen grand narrative as well as to the hundreds of little local stories that both nourish and complicate it. -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *
It is one of the pleasures of Weightman's book to see how technology rose above nationality... the interconnectedness of this world of invention and technology is extraordinary... Wonderful. -- Judith Flanders * Sunday Telegraph *
In this lively study, there is little room for the dry academic prose that so often makes economic histories a painful reading experience. Instead, we have a wealth of vivid portraits of figures from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries... Excellent. -- Leo McKinstry * Literary Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843545859
Author Gavin Weightman
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Atlantic Books
Publisher Atlantic Books
Weight(grams) 414g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 31mm