History of Technology

by Hall, A. Rupert; Smith, Norman

• ISBN13: 9781350018129
• ISBN10: 1350018120
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2016-09-30
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Academic

Summary

The technical problems confronting different societies and periods, and the measures taken to solve them form the concern of this annual collection of essays. Volumes contain technical articles ranging widely in subject, time and region, as well as general papers on the history of technology. In addition to dealing with the history of technical discovery and change, History of Technology also explores the relations of technology to other aspects of life -- social, cultural and economic -- and shows how technological development has shaped, and been shaped by, the society in which it occurred.

Author Biography

A. Rupert Hall (1920-2009) was Professor of the History of Science and Technology at Imperial College, London and a former director of the Wellcome Trust. He wrote widely on the history of science and edited and translated numerous unpublished works by scientists including Isaac Newton.

Norman A. F. Smith (1938-2009) was Reader in the History of Science and Technology at Imperial College, London. He is the author of several works including Man and Water: A History of Hydro-Technology and A History of Dams.

Table of Contents

Preface

Water Mills: A Problem for the Bridges and Boats of Medieval France, Marjorie Nice Boyer

Internal-combustion Engines and their Fuel: a Preliminary Exploration of Technological Interplay, Wm. David Compton

Wood Since the Industrial Revolution: A Strategic Retreat?, F. T. Evans

Francis Bacon and the Myth of Industrial Science, Michael Fores

The Purpose and Principles of Research in an Electrical Manufacturing Business of Moderate Size, as States by J. A. Crabtree in 1930, D. G. Tucker

Ancient Mortars and Concretes: Aspects of their Durability, Roman Malinowski

The Origin of Gearing, V. Foley, W. Soedel, J. Turner and B. Wilhoite

The Contributors

Contents of Former Volumes