In this Book

buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary
Winner of the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Award for General Engineering from the Association of American PublishersOriginally published in 1996. By applying their abundant natural resources to ironmaking early in the eighteenth century, Americans soon made themselves felt in world markets. After the Revolution, ironmakers supplied the materials necessary to the building of American industry, pushing the fuel efficiency and productivity of their furnaces far ahead of their European rivals. In American Iron, 1607-1900, Robert B. Gordon draws on recent archaeological findings as well as archival research to present an ambitious, comprehensive survey of iron technology in America from the colonial period to the industry's demise at about the turn of the twentieth century. Closely examining the techniques—the "hows"—of ironmaking in its various forms, Gordon offers new interpretations of labor, innovation, and product quality in ironmaking, along with references to the industry's environmental consequences. He establishes the high level of skills required to ensure efficient and safe operation of furnaces and to improve the quality of iron product. By mastering founding, fining, puddling, or bloom smelting, ironworkers gained a degree of control over their lives not easily attained by others.

Table of Contents

Download PDF Download Full Book Download EPUB Download Full EPUB
  1. Cover
  2. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. New Copyright
  2. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Half Title
  2. p. i
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Series Page
  2. p. ii
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Title Page
  2. p. iii
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Copyright
  2. p. iv
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Dedication
  2. p. v
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Contents
  2. p. vii
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. ix-xi
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Introduction
  2. pp. 1-6
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 1. Iron
  2. pp. 7-26
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 2. Ore, Fuel, and Other Natural Resources
  2. pp. 27-54
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 3. The Rise of American Iron, 1720–1860
  2. pp. 55-89
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 4. Smelting with Charcoal
  2. pp. 90-124
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 5. Converting Pig Iron to Wrought Iron
  2. pp. 125-154
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 6. Coal-Fired Blast Furnaces
  2. pp. 155-170
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 7. Steel
  2. pp. 171-184
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 8. Shaping Iron and Steel
  2. pp. 185-198
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 9. Iron Quality
  2. pp. 199-219
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 10. Ironmaking Eclipsed, 1860–1900
  2. pp. 220-231
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. 11. The Industrial Archaeology of Iron
  2. pp. 232-250
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Appendix A. Metallography
  2. pp. 251-257
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Appendix B. Iron Production Data
  2. pp. 259-261
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 263-305
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Glossary
  2. pp. 307-311
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Essay on Early Treatises and Primary Sources
  2. pp. 313-330
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 331-341
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
  1. Series List
  2. p. 343
  3. open access
    • HTML icon View
    • PDF icon Download
Back To Top