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Engineering the Revolution: Arms and Enlightenment in France, 1763-1815

by Ken Alder (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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Engineering the Revolution documents the forging of a new relationship between technology and politics in Revolutionary France, and the inauguration of a distinctively modern form of the “technological life.”  Here, Ken Alder rewrites the history of the eighteenth century as the total history of one particular artifact—the gun—by offering a novel and historical account of how material artifacts emerge as the outcome of political struggle. By expanding the “political” to include conflict over material objects, this volume rethinks the nature of engineering rationality, the origins of mass production, the rise of meritocracy, and our interpretation of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0226012646
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0226012643
  3. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    April 15, 2010
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  7. Print length
    496 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

1997 Dexter Prize from the Society for the History of Technology ― 1997 Dexter Prize

"Alder's work is one of the first in the history of technology to offer a sophisticated historical treatment of skills. By arguing that skills are historically contingent, Alder's contribution offers a valuable cultural study of the relationship between the rational knowledge of enlightened philosophers and engineers and the artisanal knowledge of skilled craftsmen." -- Myles W. Jackson ― Journal of Modern History

"This richly textured, heavily documented, and fluently written study centers on the attmept by French military engineers to apply engineering rationality--through the use of mass-produced interchangeable parts--to the reorganization of mass warfare. . . . Anyone interested in such topics as the social role of engineers, the politics of artifacts, and the military sources of social change will . . . benefit from a careful study of this remarkable book." -- Barton C. Hacker ― Isis

"This is a fine work, grounded in research in French archives and a plethora of other sources. Alder has forcefully demonstrated the role of engineers in fostering social change in the eighteenth-century and revolutionary eras." -- Owen Connelly ― American Historical Review

About the Author

Ken Alder is the Milton H. Wilson Professor of the Humanities and professor of history at Northwestern University. He is the author of The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that Transformed the World and The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press (April 15, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226012646
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226012643
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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Ken Alder

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4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
4 global ratings

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Dr. J. Vickers
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Engineering History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2014
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This book tells the story of how gun (both cannon and musket) development, design, manufacture and testing evolved during the 1700s and into the early 1800s in France and in comparison with what was also happening at the same time in (mainly) the UK and USA. It is an interesting story about requirements, specifications, standards, drawing, testing methods, materials, interchangeable parts and organised workers fulfilling contracts for changing governments in volatile times. It also shattered a few myths - in particular about interchangeable parts.

I work as a practicing engineer in a big company and found great resonance with this history as I see people wrestle with similar problems on a daily basis. It made me think about my role and how "engineered stuff" is delivered and its impact upon the world.

The book is very readable - it does not bombard the reader with technical terms and academic jargon. I found some of the small stories - like why cannons in France at the time stopped being made with a royal crest - highly entertaining.

I would recommend this book to both the student of engineering (of any age) and the practitioner who is interested in how certain aspects of their profession were developed. I also think it is interesting history - how technology is both a cause of and caused by other changes in the world.
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suzanjl
5.0 out of 5 stars The French Revolution as seen by engineers
Reviewed in France on April 21, 2012
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A very innovative view of the French Revolution, through the eyes of scientists and Engineers.
A very well documented book to recommend to readers with a technical or scientific background.
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Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Good service
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2015
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Excellent book
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