Inventing the 19th Century

by Stephen van Dulken

Dishwashers, electric light bulbs, gramophones, motion picture cameras, radios, roller skates, typewriters. While these inventions seem to speak of the 20th century, they all in fact date from the 19th century.
The Victorian age (1837-1901) was a period of enormous technological progress in communications, transport, and many other areas of life. Illustrated by the original patent drawings from The British Library's extensive collection, this attractive book chronicles the history of the one hundred most important, innovative, and memorable inventions of the 19th century. The vivid picture of the Victorian age unfolds as inventions from the ground-breaking—such as aspirin, dynamite, and the telephone—to the everyday—like blue jeans and tiddlywinks—are revealed decade by decade. Together they provide a vivid picture of Victorian life.
This follow-up volume to Stephen van Dulken’s acclaimed Inventing the 20th Century will be compelling reading to anyone interested in inventors and the “age of machines.” From the cash register to the safety pin, from the machine gun to the pocket protector, and from lawn tennis to the light bulb, Inventing the 19th Century is a fascinating, illustrative window into the Victorian Age.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2001

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of 100 19th-century patents. Each patent is accompanied by a 1-page history of his/her inventor and the invention (the description of the inventions are sometimes a bit technical and I sometimes scanned over these passages). The patents presented range from important invention, everyday item and the occasional bizarre patent.
It is fun to dive into old patents. The history of inventions is one of my pet subject, especially 19th century inventions as it is a fascinating period for inventions so I enjoyed reading this book.

[DavidO · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting topic presented in a kind of boring way.

There are 100 inventions shown. Next to each is about 4 paragraphs focusing on the inventor. I thought I would be more interesting to focus on the invention instead.

Also, alphabetical order? Why not sort it by theme or topic or type of invention?

[James S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting to browse through, but ultimately rather slight. It's not a coherent history but a random collection of patent applications, with some superficial commentary from the author. In no way does it live up to its portentous title.

[Spring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really just scanned it over. Intriguing.