Over the last 300 years, technology has changed our world beyond all recognition. To cover all aspects of this change would need a complete library, but this book provides us with an insight into some of the more important aspects of modern technological developments that have transformed our lives.

Published in February 2019 by Pen & Sword and edited by Angus Buchanan, this hardback book measures around 17.78 cm x 24.89 cm, and has 229 pages and 60 illustrations. It has a published price of £25, and at the time of writing, it can be obtained from Amazon for £17.

The book’s title The Engineering Revolution is quite appropriate as it was the discovery 300 years ago of ways of using power from heat engines that accelerated the process which has changed our lives.

The book is not the result of a single author but is the result of a collaboration between ten authors with different areas of expertise who have been drawn together through the History of Technology Research Unit at the University of Bath.

There are 13 chapters starting with Chapter 1 which puts Technology into Context, then proceeding through Feeding the People, Power for Industry and Society, Buildings and Civil Engineering, a Brief History of Shipping, the Steam Revolution on Land and Sea, a Brief History of Aeronautics, Modern Communications, the History of Technology in Medicine, Technology and Society, Technological Prospects, and the Heritage of Technology.

Anyone who is looking for in-depth explanations will be disappointed as the book is not a textbook. Instead, it serves as a taster to the world of technology, and whilst we may be familiar with some topics covered, there are others that are new to us. Although the book is a taster, at the end of each chapter is a list of books that offer a deeper appreciation of the topics covered by that chapter.

Nothing could show more clearly how technology has changed our lives than the scenes below showing the evolution from horse-drawn harvesters, through steam engines, to combined harvesters.

On the left below, Coalbrookdale Furnace marked a major advance in producing iron, while on the right Sir Richard Arkwright’s Masson Mill in Derbyshire signalled the start of industrialisation of the cotton spinning process.

No one can deny that the invention of reinforced concrete has changed the world. On the left is Weaver’s Flour Mill in Swansea, which was Britain and Europe’s first reinforced concrete building. On the right, the original Crystal Palace made use of a revolutionary process of glassmaking.

One area where the engineering revolution has benefitted from technology is aviation, as seen below. At the top, the Douglas DC-3 was the World’s first commercial airliner, which made its debut just over 30 years after the Wright Brothers made their first successful flight. Just over another 30 years later, the Boeing-747 made its appearance.

The technological revolution in transport for the masses came about when Henry Ford introduced his Ford Model T motor car. His original factory in Detroit, USA, where nearly 12,000 Model Ts were assembled, is fittingly now a museum. Eons away from the Model T are the ballistic missiles housed in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon and from Pen & Sword.

RailAdvent would like to thank Pen & Sword for providing RailAdvent with a copy of the book for review.