The Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer: With an Introductory History of Roads and Travelling in Great Britain

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer: With an Introductory History of Roads and Travelling in Great Britain
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Samuel Smiles
SeriesCambridge Library Collection - Technology
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:368
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
Category/GenreHistory of engineering and technology
ISBN/Barcode 9781108067898
ClassificationsDewey:B
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 10 Plates, black and white; 2 Maps; 58 Line drawings, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 17 July 2014
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This biography of the civil engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834) was published in 1867 by Samuel Smiles (1812-1904), the author of Self-Help and of other biographies of engineers and innovators. Smiles had already written about Telford's life and achievements in Volume 2 of his Lives of the Engineers (which is also reissued in this series), but in returning to the topic he adds to this new edition an introductory section (taken from Volume 1 of Lives of the Engineers) on the history of roads in Britain, from prehistoric trackways, via the Romans, to the modern road-building system pioneered by John Metcalf (the extraordinary 'Blind Jack of Knaresborough') and Telford himself. This illustrated work gives engaging accounts from earlier writers of the perils of road travel, and also deals in detail with Telford's own career as a builder of roads, bridges and canals.