The industrial revolution is a widely documented topic in world history. The subject is extensive due to the fact that the industrial revolution began in Great Britain in the 18th century and slowly spread to all corners of the world over hundreds of years.
As a result, countless books have been published on the subject looking at it from almost every angle. With so many to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of some of the best books on the subject.
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these books deal with many different aspects of the subject. Some of the books provide a more global perspective, while others focus exclusively on specific countries, such as Great Britain or the United States, or on topics specific to the Industrial Revolution, such as economic or social problems.
These books mentioned here are also some of the best selling books on the industrial revolution and have not only received rave reviews from literary critics and historians, but also have rave reviews from readers on sites like amazon, goodreads, etc.
The following is a list of the best books on the industrial revolution:
(Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
1. the most powerful idea in the world : a history of steam, industry, and invention by william rosen
Published in 2010, this book reviews the scientific advances that led to the invention of the steam engine.
Rosen argues that the idea of intellectual property, particularly the patenting of ideas, led to the invention of the steam engine and a host of other inventions that fueled the industrial revolution.
Rosen explains that patenting ideas incentivized the common man, not just the wealthy elites, to come up with many new and innovative ideas in order to profit from them.
In doing so, Rosen asserts that this was a pivotal moment in human productivity and that it essentially improved all aspects of life, such as food, shelter, transportation, medicine, etc., allowing the population to grow and prosper in a way that never before.
bill gates reviewed the book on his blog, gates notes, describing it as entertaining and highly informative:
“the most powerful idea in the world is an entertaining narrative that weaves together the clever characters, the incremental innovations, and the historical context behind the engines that gave rise to our modern world… the premise of the book is that the Anglophone world : england, scotland, wales and the united states: it was the epicenter of the industrial revolution because it “democratized the nature of invention”. rosen makes a convincing argument that the steam engine is the quintessential example of that democratization in action… the most powerful idea in the world is an enjoyable read, though it goes into a lot of detail about steam engines, and you will learn more about how they work than you might expect. With that footnote, I highly recommend the book.”
rosen, who died in 2016, worked as an editor and publisher at macmillion, simon and schuster and free press for 25 years before becoming an author.
rosen wrote numerous books on history and science, including justinian’s flea: the first great plague and the end of the roman empire, as well as the third horseman: a story about time, war and famine forgotten by humanity. story.
2. Dawn of Liberty: A People’s Story of the Industrial Revolution by Emma Griffin
Published in 2013, this book examines the effect the industrial revolution had on workers and challenges the notion that it was grim, inhumane, and exploitative, as many previous historians have suggested.
The book uses hundreds of first-hand accounts, mostly published and unpublished autobiographies, to explore what real workers felt about their experiences and, in doing so, discovered they were not what they expected, as he writes griffin in the intro:
“Running like a thread through more than a century of historical analysis is the belief that the common worker enjoyed a healthier, simpler, and less hectic life before the smoke and steam of the industrial revolution. the problem is that our autobiographers simply refuse to tell the story we expect to hear.”
griffin found in his research that these workers rarely pined for the bygone days of rural farming life and found that opportunities for workers were much better in the days of the industrial revolution than they were in the past.
griffin found, however, that opportunities for women were more difficult to assess because women were often discouraged from telling their own stories. As a result, fewer autobiographies and memoirs written by women were published.
what griffin found was that most of the working women in her sample of stories eventually left the workforce to become mothers and only returned to work if they started having significant financial problems due to major life changes, such as widowhood.
The tutor reviewed the book and applauded Griffin’s meticulous writing and research, stating that Griffin’s “crisp, accessible prose is grounded in scrupulous scholarship.”
griffin is a historian of modern britain at the university of east anglia and has a doctorate from the university of cambridge. In 2001, his doctoral thesis received the Prince Consort and Thirlwall Award, an award given exclusively for essays on British history.
griffin has written numerous books on history, including a brief history of the industrial revolution; blood sport: hunting in britain since 1906; and England’s revelry: a history of popular sports and pastimes, 1660-1830.
In 2007, Griffin won the Lord Aberdare Prize for Literary History for his book Blood Sport.
3. The Dawn of Innovation: The First American Industrial Revolution by Charles R. morris
Published in 2014, this book chronicles how the United States overtook British manufacturing and became a manufacturing superpower during the Industrial Revolution.
The book looks at how American businessmen adopted Britain’s mass production models, but instead of using them exclusively for textile manufacturing, as the British did, they applied them to all aspects of American manufacturing.
morris argues that the united states became an economic superpower in the 1840s and 1850s when the american rail system finally connected the northeast and midwest.
This allowed regional industries, such as Midwest mining, timber and food processing, and New England manufacturing, to grow and expand so much that it eventually overtook Britain’s manufacturing industry after the war. American civilian.
the new york times reviewed the book and praised its fresh new perspective on the subject:
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“To the oft-told story of America’s early industrial development, Morris, the author of ‘The Trillion Dollar Collapse; and ‘the tycoons,’ adds new data and insightful reviews.”
the wall street journal reviewed the book and also gave it a favorable review:
“an illuminating narrative that shows, among many other things, what happened when Yankee ingenuity met the industrial revolution.”
The publisher’s weekly book review acknowledged that the text is sometimes dense, but said it still provides a clear overview of how the industrial revolution unfolded in the United States:
“Often bogged down by too much detail and some crude modern day analogies (compares newly cheap paper to crack cocaine), Morris nevertheless takes the reader through America’s industrial trajectory, beginning in the 1820s, towards a mass consumption society.”
carlos r. Morris is a lawyer, former banker, and the author of numerous books on economics and history, including The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould and J.P. Morgan invented the American Super Economy and the Two Trillion Crash: Easy Money, High Rollers, and the Great Credit Crunch.
4. industry and empire: the birth of the industrial revolution by eric hobsbawm
Originally published in 1968, this updated version of eric hobsbawm’s bestselling book charts the course of the industrial revolution over more than 250 years, measuring its impact on society and politics along the way.
The book describes how Britain became an industrial giant during this period, but eventually lost its leading role in the industrial revolution.
hobsbawn goes on to explain how Britain’s industrial decline affected its citizens, as well as the country’s relationship with the rest of the world. Although the focus of the book is on Britain’s role in the Industrial Revolution, it is essentially a history of Britain and its role in the world economy.
the tutor gave the book a positive review, describing it as “masterful” and “elegant”:
“a masterful study of the major economic developments and changes of the last two hundred years, keenly and wryly observed and elegantly written.”
The now defunct magazine The Listener also praised the book’s reinterpretation of Britain’s economic history:
“an original and masterful reinterpretation of Western economic (not to mention social and political) history, [by] by far the most gifted economic historian now writing.”
eric hobsbawn, who died in 2012, was a british marxist historian who earned a doctorate from cambridge university and served as president of birkbeck university from 2002 until his death.
hobsbawn wrote many books on the rise of the industrial revolution, socialism, and nationalism in the 19th century, including the age of revolution: europe 1789-1848, the age of capital: 1848-1875, and the age of empire : 1875- 1914, the era of extremes.
in 2003, hobsbawn won the balzan prize for european history.
5. the industrial revolutionaries: the making of the modern world 1776-1914 by gavin weightman
Published in 2007, this book looks at the entrepreneurs and inventors who transformed the modern world.
The book argues that the many innovations of the era were rarely the work of one individual and more the work of many people around the world sharing and building on each other’s ideas.
weightman asserts that the true revolutionaries of the time were the people who actually took the ideas and theories of the time, whether their own or someone else’s, and put them into practice, bringing all these inventions to life.
the new york times reviewed the book and applauded weightman’s ability to reconstruct the global collaborative process of industrialization:
“weightman believes that the industrial revolution was an incremental process in which credit for any innovation or invention rightfully belongs to countless individuals scattered throughout the world. is remarkably successful in capturing this process, deftly piecing together thumbnail sketches of a host of inventors, architects, engineers, and visionaries instrumental in the ‘global spread of industrialism’ from the 18th century to the eve of the First World War.” /p>
Gavin Weightman is a journalist and documentary filmmaker focusing on social history since the 18th century. Weightman has written many books about this time period, such as The Making of Modern London; frozen water trading; and the magic box of Signor Marconi.
6. The Industrial Revolution in World History by Peter N. stearns
Originally published in 1993, this book looks at the impact the industrial revolution had on world history over the last three centuries and how it still affects us today.
The book details the international factors that drove industrialization and explores its global spread and impact.
stearns argues that the industrial revolution was the “most important single development in human history during the last three centuries” and was a global phenomenon that occurred in three waves: first in western europe and the united states in the 1770s, then to Russia, Japan, Canada, and Australia in the 1880s, and finally to the Pacific Rim, Turkey, India, Brazil, and other parts of Latin America in the 1960s and onward.
The book was recently updated and is now in its fourth edition.
magazine history: new book reviews reviewed the book and declared it an impressive and clear summary of the revolution:
“an impressive study of the spread of industrialization from the beginning of that process in the united kingdom and north-west europe to much of the rest of the world, with an emphasis on the social consequences of that continuing change…stearns compressed it all this with rich prose and exceptional clarity.”
David Northrup, a former history professor at Boston College, personally reviewed the book and said it is an excellent introduction to the industrial revolution:
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“in this new edition, peter stearns updates and refines his authoritative report on the spread and global impacts of industrialization. this concise and highly readable account is still a well-suited introduction for non-specialists.”
many user reviews of the book, on sites like goodreads and amazon, suggest that it is more of a broad history and basic introduction to the subject, but that it is perfect for beginners who are new to the subject because it is simple and easy to read .
stearns has a doctorate in history from harvard university and is currently a professor of history at george mason university. he has written and edited more than 135 books on world and social history, including the civil war in a global perspective; globalization in world history; and discussing the industrial revolution.
7. The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspectives by Robert C. Allen
Published in 2009, this book explores why the Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century Britain rather than somewhere else like Asia or continental Europe.
Allen argues that the reason for this is that the inventions of the industrial revolution were more profitable to invent and use in Britain than in other countries due to higher wages and cheaper energy costs there.
allen states that his explanation of the industrial revolution differs from most others because others tend to focus on the social structure, property rights, science, and cultural aspects of the revolution, which allen feels really doesn’t does not apply or explain the industrial revolution at all.
The book was well received by critics, particularly economists who appreciated its focus on the role economics played in the industrial revolution.
The economist magazine reviewed the book and praised both its prose and its economic analysis:
“robert allen’s analysis will delight many economists as it deals with measurable factors like wages and prices… this is a beautifully written book, the language as clear as a stream and with the same sweeping energy ”.
The Journal of Economic History also gave the book a rave review, stating:
“This is the book to use to teach the industrial revolution.”
many historians also praised the book, such as richard brown of the historical association, who said it was an important contribution to the subject:
“…an incredibly good survey of the industrial revolution…the book is well written and essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the origins of industrial change in the 18th century.”
Some readers, on sites like goodreads and amazon, argue that the book is a bit light on the politics of industrialization and, despite its title, doesn’t offer much in the way of a truly global perspective.
robert allen is professor of economic history at the university of oxford and fellow of nuffield college. Allen has written several books on economic history, including From Farm to Factory: A Reinterpretation of the Soviet Industrial Revolution; and world economic history: a brief introduction.
8. the industrial revolution, 1760-1830 by t.s. ashton
Originally published in 1948, this book looks at how the Industrial Revolution completely transformed British society in the span of just 150 years.
The book argues that although the industrial revolution is often portrayed as a catastrophic event that led to environmental problems, harsh working conditions and child labour.
ashton believes it was also a major turning point that greatly improved the quality of life for Britons and brought many economic rewards and stimulated intellectual ingenuity. the book suggests that the progress brought about by industrialization far outweighs any negative impact it may have had.
The economics magazine reviewed the book and strongly recommended it, declaring it a rare type of book:
“It’s certainly weird. . . Find, as in Professor Ashton’s work, a combination of carefully summarized research, lively humanity, stimulating generalization, basic facts, and an unerring sense of perspective, all embodied in prose of unmistakable, if unassuming, quality. it is a pleasure to be able to recommend a book, either to the student or to the general reader, so entirely without reservation. . . . few accounts of great inventions leave the nonmechanical reader with a genuine understanding of the problems and solutions involved. he this one does.”
t.s. Ashton, who died in 1968, was a British economic historian who taught economic history at the London School of Economics and the University of London.
ashton wrote numerous books on economic history such as iron and steel in the industrial revolution; An Economic History of England: The Eighteenth Century; and economic fluctuations in england 1700-1800. The Industrial Revolution 1760-1830 is considered Ashton’s best work on the subject.
9. Prometheus Unleashed: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present by David S. landes
Originally published in 1969, this book examines the inventions and technological advances that fueled the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe beginning in the 18th century.
The book explores why Europe was the first to industrialize and argues that industrialization is just one part of a larger process of modernization during which a culture significantly changes its social order, institutional order, attitudes, values, and governance to promote and adapt to more changes.
Furthermore, the book also discusses the economic boom that has occurred since the industrial revolution began and argues that only through continued industrialization can the world sustain itself economically for years to come.
The book is considered by many to be one of the most significant books on the economic history of industrialization in Western Europe.
david s. Landes, who died in 2013, was a professor of history and economics at Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1953.
landes wrote numerous books on economic history such as The Poverty Wealth of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Others So Poor; The Invention of Business: Entrepreneurship from Ancient Mesopotamia to Modern Times; and the revolution in time: clocks and the construction of the modern world.
sources: delong, brad. “great modern books; David S. landes ‘the unbound prometheus’ and nineteen more…” berkeley blog, september 8. 2013, uc regents, us berkeley, blogs.berkeley.edu/2013/09/08/modern-great-books-david-s-landess-the-unbound-prometheus-and-nineteen-others/jacob, frank. “how not to write a global history”. academy, www.academia.edu/2214561mihm, stephen. “the modernizers”. new york times, new york times company, June 25. 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/books/review/mihm-t.htmlgates, bill. “The steam engine and the industrial revolution”. doors notes, the doors notes llc, 4 feb. 2013, www.gatesnotes.com/books/the-most-powerful-idea-in-the-world
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