About the Book
Highly readable, profusely illustrated survey relates technology to history of every age: food production, metalworking, mining, steam power, transportation, electricity, and much more. 354 black-and-white illustrations. 1961 edition. Until the publication of this book, historians had largely neglected the effects of technology on the course of human history. Political, economic, and social factors had long been taken into account, but technological advances were not studied in the context of the history of the ages in which they occurred. It remained for the authors of this readable, profusely illustrated survey to relate technological developments to the history of each epoch. Chronologically, the text is divided into two parts, the first telling the story up to ca. A.D. 1750 - the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Britain - and the second continuing it up to 1900. The book begins with a general historical survey of ancient civilizations, then goes on to consider such topics as food production, metalworking, building construction, early sources of power, and the beginning of the chemical industry. The second and lengthier portion of the text focuses on the development of the steam engine, machine tools, modern transport, mining coal and metals, the rise of the modern chemical industry, textiles, the internal combustion engine, electricity, and more. To help relate the technology to the age, each section is preceded by a historical introduction and the book concludes with a series of tables designed to show the interrelation of events names in the text. Profusely illustrated and brimming with factual data, A Short History of Technology will appeal equally to students, scholars, historians of technology, and general readers.
Table of Contents:
PART I FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO A.D. 1750 I. GENERAL HISTORICAL SURVEY Man before civilization Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations The rise of Greece and Rome The Roman Empire The earlier Middle Ages The later Middle Ages The Renaissance The emergence of the modern world 2. THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD Domestication of animals Origins of agriculture Irrigation Growth of tillage in Europe Preparation of food and drink Fisheries Effects of the geographical discoveries "Progress of agriculture, c. A.D. I500-I750" Land reclamation 3. PRODUCTION FOR DOMESTIC NEEDS Early pottery Early textiles "Ivory, wood, leather, glass" The contribution of the Greek and Roman world The Middle Ages Medieval textiles and leather-work Furniture Textiles and glass 4. THE EXTRACTION AND WORKING OF METALS The earliest use of metals: the Bronze Age The early Iron Age of Greece and Rome Metal-working in the Middle Ages Extension of the use of metals Further developments of the iron industry Armaments Instrument-making 5. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION The early empires Greek and Roman building The Middle Ages Building from the Renaissance to the eighteenth century 6. TRANSPORT Beginnings: the wheel and the horse The Graeco-Roman period Transport in the Middle Ages The period of the great geographical discoveries Development from I600 to I750 7. COMMUNICATION AND RECORD Speech and record Measurement Cartography Paper Origins of printing "Developments, I500-I750" 8. EARLY SOURCES OF POWER Man and animal power The water-wheel The windmill 9. THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY The chemical industry in ancient times Chemistry and the textile industry The manufacture of gunpowder The alchemists and the iatrochemists The beginning of modern chemistry PART II THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION TO A.D. 1900 10. HISTORICAL SURVEY (I750-I900) General Introduction "The quickening tempo of industry, I750-92" "The period of the great French wars, I792-I8I5" "From Waterloo to the Great Exhibition, I815-5I" "The period of nationalist wars, I85I-7I" "The age of materialism, I87I-I900" II. THE STEAM-ENGINE Introduction Pioneers of the steam-engine Watt and Trevithick The steam-engine applied to transport Locomotives and stationary steam-engines Later development of the steam-engine Steam-turbines The theoretical background I2. MACHINE-TOOLS AND THEIR PRODUCTS Introduction Growth of precision work The succession of pioneers The 'American System' "Further developments, I850-I900" I3. MODERN TRANSPORT The last era of sail The era of iron and steel steamships The growth of railways The road-steamer and the bicycle The early motor-car Initiation of the conquest of the air I4. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION: REQUIREMENTS OF URBAN COMMUNITIES The civil engineer "Building materials, I750-I850" Furniture "New uses of wrought iron, steel, and concrete" Improvement of water-supply Drainage and sanitation I5. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION: REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORT Road-making Canals and river-improvements Railways: the permanent way Bridges Tunnels Land works facilitating sea traffic I6. COAL AND THE METALS Coal-mining Cast and wrought iron The coming of cheap steel "Exploitation of non-ferrous metals, I750-I900" New metal products Armaments I7. "NEW MATERIALS: COAL-GAS, PETROLEUM, AND RUBBER" Origins of gas-lighting The gas age Early exploitation of bituminous deposits The oil-well industry Early rubber manufacture Vulcanization and wider uses of rubber Plantation rubber I8. THE RISE OF THE MODERN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY The chemical industry and the industrial revolution "Later developments in the manufacture of soda and sulphuric acid, I830-I900" Synthetic dyes Explosives Some electrochemical processes Artificial fertilizers "Other developments, I830-I900" Some chemical contributions to medicine I9. TEXTILES "Spinning-machinery, I760-I850" Improvements in weaving "Spread of textile machinery, to I850" Hoisery and lace-making The sewing machine "The textile industries, I850-I900" 20. POTTERY AND GLASS The pottery industry in the eighteenth century Nineteenth-century developments Progress of glass-making Glass-making 2I. THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Introduction Gas-engines Oil-engines Petrol-engines Conclusion 22. THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY Historical Introduction The generation of electricity Distribution Telegraphy and telephony Electric lighting The electric-motor 23. "PRINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THE CINEMA" The casting and setting of type The typewriter The modern printing-press "Paper-making, binding, and illustrating" Early history of photography Photography for the amateur and the illustrator Development of cinematography 24. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD Agriculture: the implements Agriculture: the products "Agriculture: world changes, I850-I900" Food management: fish supplies and whaling Processing and preservation of food Canning and refrigeration 25. EPILOGUE: TECHNOLOGICAL AND GENERAL HISTORY CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF SUBJECTS INDEX OF PERSONS AND PLACE-NAMES
