Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell (1816 1904) was a leading metallurgist and industrialist who served as president of both the Iron and Steel Institute and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He combined business skills with scientific expertise and was recognised as a world authority on blast furnace technology. His major works reveal both technical know-how and commercial awareness, and show that he was conscious of the threat to Britain's early lead in industrialisation from foreign competition. He supported free trade, and believed that British industry needed a firm scientific base in order...