Men of Iron

The first underwater tunnel (Thames), the longest suspension bridge (Clifton), the greatest railway system (Great Western), the fastest locomotive, the biggest war ship, the first transatlantic steamboat. These are the works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Victorian engineer extraordinaire and undoubtedly the last engineering giant of the Industrial Revolution. The inventions of Brunel and other pioneering engineers of the time ensured that Britain was the hub of the industrial world. Brunel`s biggest rival was Stephenson, who managed to float a railway across a bog, and another contemporary was Telford who, with no formal training, went on to build some of the finest canals and bridges in the country. This is a wonderful illustrated record of some of the greatest engineering feats of the Industrial Revolution and includes blueprints, engravings, letters and diary extracts.