Written from an engineering perspective, this fascinating book emphasizes the innovations that were truly basic
to United States industrialization. The author uses a three - sided view to describe American engineering history:
what great engineers actually did, the political and economic conditions within which they worked, and the influence
that these designers and their achievements had on the nation. Billington explores the scientific basis of engineering
through elementary formulas that also include the social issues of regulated loads, visually striking forms, acceptable
risks, environmental issues, and the production of wealth.
Table of Contents
IRON, STEAM, AND EARLY INDUSTRY, 1776-1855.
Modern Engineering and the Transformation of America.
Watt, Telford, and the British Beginnings.
Fulton's Steamboat and the Mississippi.
Lowell and the American Industrial Revolution.
Francis and the Industrial Power Network.
CROSSING THE CONTINENT, 1830-1883.
The Stephensons, Thomson, and the Eastern Railroads.
Henry Morse, and the Telegraph.
St.
Louis versus Chicago and the Continental Railroads.
