Explore the evolution of engineering through a richly illustrated survey of mining, metallurgical, and textile machinery.
This second edition compiles descriptive and historical notes on a wide range of machinery in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Mechanical Engineering Collection. It covers methods, tools, and devices from mining and paper making to printing, weaving, and machine tools, with a emphasis on how ideas and techniques developed over time. The book presents both the practical workings of apparatus and the history behind them, offering insight into how industrial progress was built.
- See how deep boring and excavation tools evolved, including rotation and percussion methods, and learn about support systems for underground work.
- Discover the development of paper-making, from hand processes to the Fourdrinier machine, and how different pulps and preparations shaped finished paper.
- Get an overview of textile machinery, printing and finishing equipment, and the role of machine tools in advancing production.
- Learn how collections in a museum setting were assembled, photographed, and made available to students and engineers.
Ideal for readers of engineering history, museum collections, and anyone curious about the machines that powered modern industry.