2 comments about Isambard Kingdom Brunel: Engineering Knight Errant.

1. This book will leave you with a good feel for the man and what drove him, but the technical side of his achievements is lacking. Extraordinary he certainly was, but somewhat less admirable than his reputation would suggest.

   The book is well written and it describes Brunel's times as well as his character excellently. I would have been more interested in how such impressive engineering feats were achieved when the mathematical methods and the physical means of realising them were so rudimentary. But it was still a good read and kept me engrossed from cover to cover.




2. I was tremendously impressed with Adrian Vaughan after watching his outstanding commentary on the British documentary "Men of Iron", so I sought out his biography of Brunel. As he explains in the introduction, Vaughan's intention here was to balance Rolt's biography of Brunel, which almost unquestionably praises everything Brunel did.
   
   I expected Vaughan's book to be a polar opposite of Rolt's, but it isn't. Vaughan looks at Brunel's activities far more critically (especially regarding the management debacles on the Great Eastern project), but not to the point of being critical for the sake of being critical.
   
   In my opinion, this book and Rolt's book are must-reads on Brunel. If you were somehow forced to read only one, however, Vaughan's book would be the choice (owing to its better balance of criticism and praise).
   
   I agree with other reviewers that this book (and Rolt's book) are not exhaustive technical resources on Brunellian engineering; they cover the man far more than his methods. Although more technical detail would be nice, their absence doesn't make the books disappointing in any way.
   
   If I had to offer one criticism of Vaughan's treatment, it would be that he emphasizes railroad projects far more than bridges and ships. That's just personal preference - I'd like a little more detail on ships and bridges. In fact, I wish Vaughan had simply written the book twice as long as it is.

No comments about Nobel Lectures In Physics 2001-2005.

No comments about Parallel Expeditions: Charles Darwin and the Art of John Steinbeck.

No comments about German Science: Some Reflections on German Science : German Science and German Virtues.

No comments about Inventors Card Game.

No comments about The Life and Scientific Legacy of George Porter.

1 comments about Mustang Designer.

1. This was an excellent book which described the achievements and events of Edgar Schmeud, the principle designer of the P-51 Muatang. It also gives an in depth history of the accelerated development of the mustang during WWII. The book contains many rare photo's of early mustangs, the manufacturing plants, and the other people involved in the development of the plane.

No comments about Confessions of a Technophile (Masters of Modern Physics, Vol 13).

1 comments about Managing on Her Own: Dr. Lillian Gilbreth and Women's Work in the Interwar Era.

1. This book highlights the life of an incredible woman. It reveals many aspects of Dr.Lillian Gilbreth's life and how she dealt with the extraordinary challenges of society.

   It is an insightful book descriptive of how her circumstances forced her into developing creative solutions in her quest for survival.

   It truly reveals not only her impact in the field of scientific management (which she and her late husband had worked on for many years), but how she managed to apply her psychology skills in becoming a pioneer in the field while raising 11 surviving children and no spouse.

   If you enjoyed the Hollywood movies "Cheaper by The Dozen" or "Belles On Their Toes", I highly recommend you read this book. It gives the 'behind the scene' factual story of a remarkable lady. A 'MUST' for engineering majors...specially women.

No comments about They Call Him the Buffalo Doctor.