The Most Powerful Idea in the World

A Story of Steam, Industry and Invention

William Rosen

$55

Paperback

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English

Pimlico
01 August 2011

History; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Industrialisation & industrial history

An enthralling and accessible history of the invention which transformed the world- steam power.

'The most important invention in the whole of the Industrial Revolution was invention itself.'

Those words are at the heart of this remarkable book - a history of the Industrial Revolution and the steam engine, as well as an account of how inventors first came to own and profit from their ideas and how invention itself springs forth from logic and imagination.

Rocket. It was the fortuitously named train that inaugurated steam locomotion in 1829, jump-starting two centuries of mass transportation. As William Rosen reveals, it was the product of centuries of scientific and industrial discovery. From inventor Heron of Alexandria in AD 60 to James Watt, the physicist whose 'separate condenser' was central to the development of steam power - all those who made possible the long ride towards the Industrial Revolution are brought to life.

But crucial to their contributions are other characters whose concepts allowed their invention to flourish - John Locke and intellectual property; Edward Coke and patents. Along the way, Rosen takes us deep into the human mind, explaining how 'eureka' moments occur - when the brain is most relaxed.

By: William Rosen
Imprint: Pimlico
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 481g
ISBN: 9781845951351
ISBN 10: 1845951352
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 01 August 2011
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

William Rosen was a senior executive at Macmillan and Simon & Schuster publishing houses for more than twenty-five years, working with authors including Bernard Lewis, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Philip Craig and Tim Clayton, Marina Benjamin, and Robert Lacey. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.