Officially opened in 1682, the Canal du Midi, designed and built by the engineers Pierre-Paul Riquet and Francois Andreossy, stretched from Toulouse to the Mediterranean. The present work was written by Andreossy's descendant, Antoine-Francois Andreossy (1761-1828), a French general and diplomat. A member of the Academie des Sciences, he analyses here the terrain of the south of France to show how and why the canal was built. Notably, the work became known for the author's argument that Riquet had usurped the glory that really belonged to his ancestor. Concluding with original documents from...

Though much about his life is uncertain, Charles Frederick Partington is known to have lectured at the London Institution between 1823 and 1830 on a variety of technical topics, and he delivered some of the first lectures specifically designed for young people. He had a particular interest in the steam engine, and this book, reissued here in the first edition of 1822, was one of the earliest overviews of its history and development. A third edition appeared in 1826. Noting the excessive frequency with which 'the faults of any new invention are unjustly magnified, while its real advantages are...

Seventh wrangler in the Cambridge mathematical tripos in 1826, Henry Moseley (1801-72) was adept at applying mathematical analysis to a wide variety of problems. Appointed professor of natural and experimental philosophy and astronomy at London's newly established King's College in 1831, he was instrumental in creating the institution's department of engineering and applied science. This 1843 textbook is based on the lectures in statics, dynamics and structures that he gave to students of engineering and architecture. Moseley draws on the latest continental work in mechanics, and the...

Two years after Thomas Edison patented his electric light bulb, the 1881 International Exposition of Electricity in Paris, featuring many spectacular lighting displays, showcased the potential of this technology for commercial and domestic use. The accompanying International Congress of Electricians also agreed on international standards for units of electrical resistance, potential and current. In its wake, James Dredge (1840-1906), editor of the British periodical Engineering, compiled this illustrated overview of electrical technology and its application to lighting. First published in two...

Two years after Thomas Edison patented his electric light bulb, the 1881 International Exposition of Electricity in Paris, featuring many spectacular lighting displays, showcased the potential of this technology for commercial and domestic use. The accompanying International Congress of Electricians also agreed on international standards for units of electrical resistance, potential and current. In its wake, James Dredge (1840-1906), editor of the British periodical Engineering, compiled this illustrated overview of electrical technology and its application to lighting. First published in two...

The journalist and politician Edward Baines (1800-90) succeeded his father as editor of the Leeds Mercury and as MP for Leeds. From a dissenting family, he was a social reformer but passionately believed that the state should not interfere in matters such as working hours and education. In this 1835 work, he sees the cotton industry as an exemplar of the unity of 'the manufactory, the laboratory, and the study of the natural philosopher', in making practical use of creative ideas and scientific discoveries. He surveys cotton manufacture from its origins to its 'second birth' in England, and...

Blinded by smallpox at the age of six, John Metcalf (1717-1810) led a life that might have featured in an eighteenth-century novel. Popularly known as 'Blind Jack of Knaresborough', Metcalf had many and varied careers, including musician, horse trader, fish supplier, textile merchant and stage-wagon operator. Developing a method for building roads on marshy ground, using heather and gorse as a foundation, he eventually became one of the eighteenth century's great road builders, laying over 120 miles of high-quality roads in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Cheshire. Published in 1795 and...