John Ingham's in-depth examination of small and mid-sized Pittsburgh steel mills during the age of Carnegie challenges business historians' traditional view that nineteenth-century industrial development followed a linear pattern, progressing from a handicraft stage to large-scale mass production. In the steel industry, this pattern was best exemplified by Andrew Carnegie, but while Carnegie's pattern became the stereotype for the entire industry, Ingham argues that his case was actually unique. In Making Iron and Steel, John Ingham introduces the intricate, densely textured world of...