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Oliver Heaviside FRS (1850-1925) was a brilliant self-taught electrical engineer, physicist and mathematician. Published in 1893, this is the first of three volumes that summarise his work on electromagnetic theory. It gives his first description of vector analysis and reinterprets Maxwell's field equations into the form we know today.

Published in 1914, this two-volume collection yields insights into the life of the artist and inventor Samuel Morse (1791-1872), who spent decades fighting to be recognised for his role in devising the electromagnetic telegraph. Volume 1 provides revealing observations by an American on Europe in the nineteenth century.

Following the success of his Life of George Stephenson in 1857, the author and social reformer Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) published this three-volume work between 1861 and 1862. Spanning from the Roman to Victorian period, it provides fascinating biographies of Britain's most notable engineers, including detailed accounts of their pioneering work.

A distinguished consulting engineer and professor of civil engineering, Leveson Francis Vernon-Harcourt (1839-1907) specialised in canals, docks, and river works. This illustrated two-volume survey covers the design and construction of tidal and flood defences, canals, locks, and irrigation works. It is reissued here in the enlarged 1896 second edition.

Aided by plans of the building and tables of classification, in Volume 2 of Hunt's Hand-Book to the Official Catalogues of the Great Exhibition (1851), readers continue their vicarious journey through the Crystal Palace and 'take in' exhibits as varied as enamelled glassware, cotton looms and cement.

Hunt's Hand-Book to the Official Catalogues of the Great Exhibition (1851) displays a compelling enthusiasm for the modern world, technology and progress. Aided by a series of meticulous plans, Volume 1 leads readers through the celebrated Medieval Court and spectacular displays of agricultural produce, weaponry, and porcelain.

Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744-1817) was an Irish educationalist, engineer and inventor, who was connected with many leading scientists, technologists and industrialists of his day. This two-volume autobiography, first published in 1820, was completed after his death by his novelist daughter Maria, who also co-authored his Practical Education.

The man behind the building of the Suez Canal describes his career as an engineer and diplomat in Europe and North Africa. Volume 1 of this 1887 translation focuses on diplomatic visits to Rome and Madrid in the late 1840s, and the early stages of the Suez Canal enterprise.

An electrical engineer, university teacher and wide-ranging writer, Fleeming Jenkin (1833-85) filed thirty-five British patents in his lifetime. First published in 1887, this two-volume collection includes papers on speculative and applied science, literature, political economy, and technical education. Robert Louis Stevenson, his former student, provides a useful memoir.

Written in order to shed light on the industry and economy of China rather than social issues, this account of engineer William Barclay Parsons' experiences in the eastern provinces was first published in 1900, touching on all aspects of Chinese industrial development from export statistics to ingenious business swindles.

One of the most popular Victorian writers, Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) made his name with Self-Help (1859) and his Lives of the Engineers (1861-2). Left incomplete at his death but published in 1905, his straightforward and unpretentious autobiography will interest readers fascinated by the Victorian drive for self-improvement.

Until the 1830s, the principles of electric telegraphy were confined to laboratories and classrooms. Hoping only to make a hundred pounds, William Fothergill Cooke (1806-79) developed the invention for commercial use. This collection of his letters, which detail the painstaking process of his work, was first published in 1895.

One of the leading figures in the age of great engineers, David Stevenson (1815-86) is best remembered for his work on inland navigation and lighthouses. Published in 1872, this second edition of what was originally an article for the Encyclopaedia Britannica remained the definitive text on the subject into the twentieth century.

Although denied membership of the Royal Society, electrical engineer and suffragist Hertha Ayrton (1854-1923) undertook a vast range of scientific work, from the study of sand bars to the development of anti-aircraft lights. First published in 1902, this book is her comprehensive and illustrated study of electric arcs.

The nineteenth-century gold rush was an important factor in the tension between Dutch and English settlers that led to the Second Boer War. This 1895 work on the mining industry of the Transvaal covers geological, economic and legal aspects of gold mining in this significant period of South African history.

Frederick Smeeton Williams (1829-86) was a Congregational minister and pioneering railway historian. This book, first published in 1876, is a lively historical account of the Midland Railway's early development, particularly valuable for its contemporary description of the building of the notoriously difficult but beautifully scenic Settle and Carlisle line.

With over 4,500 entries, this two-volume catalogue, in its third, 1877 edition, is a comprehensive record of a major exhibition on which important collections now held at the Science Museum, London were based. It lists and describes the objects, and gives details of the organisers and contributing individuals and institutions.

Sir Charles Tilston Bright (1832-88) was chief engineer of the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable and subsequently worked on telegraph networks spanning the British Empire and the globe. Written by Bright's brother and son, this two-volume 1898 biography chronicles one of the foremost electrical engineers of the Victorian age.

First published in 1828, when steam navigation was in its infancy in Britain, this work by naval officer and Arctic explorer John Ross (1777-1856) explores the rise of steam navigation and how to best exploit its advantages, both for trade and military purposes.

Sir William Crookes (1832-1919) worked on a spectacular range of projects. He invented a radiometer, investigated spiritualism and even predicted nuclear fission. This 1923 biography explores Crookes' remarkable life through diary extracts and letters. It also includes a foreword by the physicist Sir Oliver Lodge.

Published 1839-52, this two-volume work records the contribution of William Scoresby (1789-1857) to magnetic science, a field he considered one of 'grandeur'. The result of laborious investigations into magnetism and (with James Prescott Joule) electromagnetism, Scoresby's work was particularly concerned with improving the accuracy of ships' compasses.

With its spectacular lighting displays, the 1881 International Exposition of Electricity in Paris showcased the potential of the technology for commercial and domestic use. In its wake, James Dredge (1840-1906), editor of the British periodical Engineering, oversaw the compilation and publication in 1882-5 of this illustrated two-volume work.

With its spectacular lighting displays, the 1881 International Exposition of Electricity in Paris showcased the potential of the technology for commercial and domestic use. In its wake, James Dredge (1840-1906), editor of the British periodical Engineering, oversaw the compilation and publication in 1882-5 of this illustrated two-volume work.

Written by one of the pioneers of colour photography, this book describes the history and science of photography with an emphasis on the practical processes involved and the latest developments. Hermann Vogel's generously illustrated book was first published in 1875; this reissue is of the fourth edition of 1883.

In this work of 1891, Silvanus P. Thompson (1851-1916), an engineer and physicist, explains the function of the electromagnet. Starting with the history and development of electromagnets, the work looks at the principle of the magnetic current, and gives detailed descriptions of electromagnetic motors and machine tools.

A self-taught authority on electromagnetic theory, telegraphy and telephony, Oliver Heaviside (1850-1925) dedicated his life to electrical technologies. The publication of Electrical Papers in 1892 established his fame among the British reading public. The subjects covered in Volume 1 include voltaic constants, duplex telegraphy, microphones and electromagnets.

This practical 1844 guide provides a detailed insight into the history and application of draining land. Beginning with an address to the public focusing on the importance of farming and the improvement of ground, Henry Hutchinson devotes separate chapters to the various methods of land drainage available in England.

This work of 1866, illustrated by Robert Dudley, is the official account of the 1865 expedition on board the Great Eastern to lay a cable along the Atlantic Ocean floor between Valentia, Ireland, and Foilhummerum Bay, Newfoundland, and will appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of technology.

Written by the first general manager of De Beers Consolidated Mines, this impressively detailed study describes the discovery of diamonds in South Africa and the development of mines and methods of mining in that country. First published in 1902, The Diamond Mines contains over 500 illustrations.

In this 1884 book, Jeans examines the work of the men who he considered had contributed most to the iron and steel industries of the nineteenth century. Their work made possible many technological developments by allowing higher-quality metals to be produced at lower cost.