Steamboats Come True: American Inventors in Action
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.39 (666 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0316286087 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 406 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 0000-00-00 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"A must read" according to Ben Cartwright. Mr Flexner brings the story of the invention of the steamboat to life. But this book is much more than a story of steam boats though. The book covers a biography of John Fitch, the man who really invented the steam boat (Fulton put a steamboat together decades after Fitch.) Fitch is one of the most interesting charcters in U.S. history. You will not believe the accomplishements of Fitch. I am totally amazed at the story of Fitch every time I listen this book on tape. Flexner ties all of the events of the time together. The inventions of James Watt, Napolean's military efforts, the Revolutionary war, the invention of the submarine. The intera. Didn't Learn Much About Steamboats T' Wretched Reviewer With Malice Aforethought More of a 'who did it' than a 'how it works'. Very thin on illustrations, Flexner believes a 'thousand words is better than one picture'. I would have liked to see an illustration of some of the devices he described - a bell crank, for instance. Or a little more on how a steam engine actually works. He talks about condensers and boilers and so on, but still leaves one wondering what they are and how they worked. The last chapter is a discussion of whether Fitch invented steamboats, or Fulton - I didn't even bother reading it, as it appeared to me Flexner was just extending the length of the book unnecessarily. This one will go in the "don't . Steamboats Robert G. Shaver I found this book interesting not only from the history of steamboats but also the politics, finance,and international intrigue
James Thomas Flexner has been a professional writer most of his adult life. He has written for print and television; he has been a lecturer, columnist, reviewer, and even a fiction writer.. Although he is principally known for his historical books, notably his four -volume biography of George Washington, Flexner has written in many forms and for many outlets. After several year spent at the City desk at the New York Herald Tribune after graduating from Harvard University , Flexner went on to become one of America's foremost historians. He has written with great distinction in a unique style accessible to and enjoyed by the scholar and general reader, twenty-six books in the fields of American history and art
James Thomas Flexner is a National Book Award Laureate; recipient of a special Pulitzer Prize Citation; winner of the Society of American Historians' Parkman Prize, the gold medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for Eminence in Biography.James Thomas Flexner has won a Special Pulitzer Prize Citation, a National Book Award, and a Christopher's
aThe answer to the question awho invented the steamboat?a makes exceptionally good reading. Flexner recounts steps that led to the steamboat as an accomplished fact, and recreates the living personalities of Fitch, Rumsey, and Fulton as they reacted to the times, their environment, and the inventive urge within them.a