Product Description

This biography covers the life of Richard Trevithick - a brilliant but wayward Cornish engineer and inventor who gave the world its first steam-powered locomotive 200 years ago.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60436 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 246 pages

Customer Reviews

A giant among engineers.
The opening chapters of this informative book give the history of Cornwall in a nutshell:- the mining, the unforgiving coastline, the wrecks, the climate and the people. Specifically from the mining aspect, we see how the conditions lent themselves to some form of mechanised help with raising tin & copper ore and draing the shafts & tunnels. Newcomen and Watt were the first to provide the engines, but Trevithick saw how these could be improved, much to the dismay of Boulton & Watt, who kept up a litiginous fight against Trevithick for decades.
Trevithick prevailed and also saw that the static engines could be moved around by their own power to the next site, which set into motion the beginning of the railways and motor cars (little realising what this would become in 200 years!)....
This is a well-researched book, with plenty of apposite quotes and comments, but at the same time it is never dull - the story flows like well-turned novel, urging one into the next chapter. The great thing about the book is the way you are constantly kept aware of how new the technology was; and how daunting that power was to those used to the limitations of horse-power. And it reveals the impetuous yet single-minded nature of this ebullient giant who would let nothing stop him in his quest to further Cornish development.
The author opened my eyes to the unsung genius of Trevithick; we all remember Watt as the 'Father of Steam' (he actually hindered progress!) and Stevenson as the 'Inventor of the Railway Engine', but Trevithick made more technical strides - although they were quickly superseded - nontheless, it does not detract from the man's vision and tenacity in the face of opposition from the Patent law and his rivals.
Recommended reading ****

A Wonderful view of a great inventor
When I got this book, I thought it would probably be some borinng review of what Richard Trevithicjk did in his spare time, but then I read it. It most certainly was not what I had imagined. The book is divided into various chapter, each discussing a time in his Life. It covers all the details, and begins with a brief bit about the Trevithick family in general, and moves right through his life, through Cornwall, England and South America right up to his death in Yorkshire. Anyone studying this magnificent engineer would be suprised by how much he did, not just the well known steam engines. It gives a very detailed account of important turning points, and explains the workings of his inventions. Overall, It was amazing. I would reccomend this to any budding historian and cornishman alike. Very much worth it.

Giant of a man and a giant of the steam age.
This biography covers the life of Richard Trevithick, a brilliant but wayward Cornish engineer and inventor who gave the world its first steam-powered locomotive 200 years ago. A well written book that highlights Trevethick's great advances and inventions in the age of steam from the Penydarren engine, the worlds first steam locomotive, his portable high power steam engines, his work on tunnels, boats and more. There is also a very interesting period where he goes to Peru to work on the silver mines and gets caught up in a revolution and then actually meets George Stephenson of all people in Costa Rica. A tempestuous man of great strength, drive and energy, Trevethick never made his fortune but he left a rich trail of advancement during the industrial revolution.

A well written book that I enjoyed but tempered with to many letter extracts for my liking and I wish I could have been able to follow the technical explanations in the book a bit better. Never the less a very interesting read.