James Watt, chemist : understanding the origins of the steam age / by David Philip Miller.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, David Philip, author.

Series:

Science and culture in the nineteenth century ; no. 8.

Science and culture in the nineteenth century ; no. 8

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Watt, James, 1736-1819--Knowledge--Chemical warfare.

Watt, James.

Steam engineering--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Steam engineering.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 241 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London : Pickering & Chatto, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In the Victorian era, James Watt became an iconic engineer, but in his own time he was also an influential chemist. Miller examines Watt's illustrious engineering career in light of his parallel interest in chemistry, arguing that Watt's conception of steam engineering relied upon chemical understandings. Part I of the book - Representations - examines the way James Watt has been portrayed over time, emphasizing sculptural, pictorial and textual representations from the nineteenth century. As an important contributor to the development of arguably the most important technology of industrialization, Watt became a symbol that many groups of thinkers were anxious to claim. Part II - Realities - focuses on reconstructing the unsung 'chemical Watt' instead of the lionized engineer.

Contents:

Cover; Half Title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Dedication; Acknowledgements; List of Figures; Introduction; I. Representations; 1. Of Statues, Kettles and Indicators

The 'Mechanical Watt'; 2. The Demise of the 'Chemical Watt' in the Nineteenth Century; 3. The 'Mechanical Watt': The Making of a 'Philosophical Engineer'; II. Realities; 4. Watt's Chemistry of Heat; 5. The Steam Engine as Chemistry; 6. The Indicator Understood, or Why Watt was not a Proto-thermodynamicist; 7. Conclusions; Notes; Works Cited; Index.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612125621

9781315652764

1315652765

9780822965305

0822965305

9780822981725

0822981726

9781317314042

1317314042

9781317314059

1317314050

9781282125629

1282125621

9781851966851

1851966854

OCLC:

426066444