From the beginning of the eighteenth century to the high water mark of the Victorian era, the world was transformed by a technological revolution the like of which had never been seen before. Inventors, businessmen, scientists, explorers all had their part to play in the story of the Industrial Revolution and in this Brief History Thomas Crump brings their story to life, and shows why it is a chapter in English history that can not be ignored. Previous praise for Thomas Crump's A Brief History of Science: 'A serious and fully furnished history of science, from which anyone interested in the development of ideas . . . will greatly profit.' A. C. Grayling, Financial Times 'Provides an enduring sense of the extraordinary ingenuity that defines our relationship with nature.' Guardian 'An excellent account . . Crump writes with authority.' TLS