Lives of Boulton and Watt. Principally from the Original Soho Mss (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Comprising also a history of the invention and introduction of the steam engineBy Samuel Smiles
Length16h 21m
About this audiobook
Lives of Boulton and Watt. Principally from the Original Soho Mss is Samuel Smiles's expansive dual biography of Matthew Boulton and James Watt, the industrial partnership that transformed the steam engine from ingenious experiment into a central instrument of modern manufacture. Drawing on the Soho papers, Smiles combines documentary precision with Victorian narrative energy, placing technical invention within the broader literary and historical context of progress, enterprise, and the Industrial Revolution. Smiles, best known for Self-Help, was a physician, journalist, reformer, and historian whose writings celebrated perseverance, moral discipline, and practical genius. His interest in engineers and inventors was not merely antiquarian: he saw in figures such as Watt and Boulton exemplary lives through which national character, scientific curiosity, and commercial courage could be understood. Access to original manuscripts enabled him to lend authority and intimacy to his account. This volume is recommended to readers interested in industrial history, biography, and the culture of nineteenth-century Britain. It offers more than a chronicle of machinery; it reveals how collaboration, capital, experiment, and character helped reshape the modern world.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreBiography and Memoir
Length16 hrs 21 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 1, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
20CHAPTER XI. Boulton and Watt—Their Partnership.
2Introduction
21CHAPTER XII. Boulton and Watt begin the Manufacture of Steam-engines.
3Synopsis
22CHAPTER XIII. Watt in Cornwall—Introduction of his Pumping-engines.
4Historical Context
23CHAPTER XIV. Financial Difficulties—Boulton in Cornwall—Attack and Defence of the Engine Patent.
5PREFACE.
24CHAPTER XV. Watt again visits Cornwall—Invention of the Rotary Motion—The Patent Right again assailed.
Show all chaptersShow less
6BEGINNINGS OF THE STEAM-ENGINE: THE EARLY INVENTORS.
25CHAPTER XVI. More Difficulties and more Inventions—Boulton again in Cornwall.
7BEGINNINGS OF THE STEAM-ENGINE: THE EARLY INVENTORS.
26CHAPTER XVII. Commercial Politics—The Albion Mills—Riots in Cornwall—Prosperity of Boulton and Watt.
8CHAPTER I. Dawnings of Steam Power—The Marquis of Worcester.
27CHAPTER XVIII. Friends of Boulton and Watt—The Lunar Society.
9CHAPTER II. Sir Samuel Morland—Dr. Dionysius Papin.
28CHAPTER XIX. Boulton’s Application of the Steam-engine to Coining.
10CHAPTER III. Captain Savery—His Fire-engine.
29CHAPTER XX. Prosperity of Soho—Young Boulton and Watt—The Riots—William Murdock.
11CHAPTER IV. Thomas Newcomen—The Atmospheric Engine.
30CHAPTER XXI. Application of Steam-power to Navigation—Miller and Symington—Boulton and Watt’s Engine adopted by Fulton.
12JAMES WATT: HIS BOYHOOD AND EARLY LIFE: MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT MAKER, SURVEYOR, AND INVENTOR.
31CHAPTER XXII. Declining Years of Boulton and Watt—Bereavements—Gregory Watt—Death of Boulton.
13CHAPTER V. James Watt—Lineage and Birthplace—Boyhood and Apprenticeship.
32CHAPTER XXIII. Closing Years of James Watt—His Death—Conclusion.
14CHAPTER VI. James Watt, Mathematical Instrument Maker.
33INDEX. (pt. 1)
15CHAPTER VII. Watt’s Experiments on Steam—Invents the Separate Condenser.
34INDEX. (pt. 2)
16CHAPTER VIII. Watt’s Connexion with Dr. Roebuck—Watt acts as Surveyor and Engineer.
35Analysis
17BOULTON AND WATT, ENGINEERS, BIRMINGHAM.
36Reflection
18CHAPTER IX. Birmingham—Matthew Boulton.
37Memorable Quotes
19CHAPTER X. Boulton and the Steam Engine—Correspondence with Watt.
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