What do you think?
Rate this book
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
From the best-selling author of THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS and THE LOST KING OF FRANCE comes the story of how our modern world was forged – in rivets, grease and steam; in blood, sweat and human imagination.
The nineteenth century saw the creation of some of the world's most incredible feats of engineering. Deborah Cadbury explores the history behind the epic monuments that spanned the industrial revolution from Brunel's extraordinary Great Eastern, the Titanic of its day that joined the two ends of the empire, to the Panama Canal, that linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans half a century later.
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World recreates the stories of the most brilliant pioneers of the industrial age, their burning ambitions and extravagant dreams, their passions and rivalries as great minds clashed. These were men such as Arthur Powell-Davis, the engineer behind the Hoover Dam, who dreamed of creating the largest dam in the world by diverting the entire Colorado river, one of the worlds most dangerous and unpredictable, or John Roebling, who lost his life creating the Brooklyn Bridge, the longest suspension bridge ever built. These are also the stories of countless unsung heroes – the craftsmen and workers without whose perseverance nothing would have been achieved, not to mention the financiers and shareholders hanging on for the ride as fortunes – and reputations – were lost and won.
Cadbury leads us on an amazing journey from the freezing snows of the Alps to the mosquito-ridden wilds of the Central American jungle as we see uncontrollable rivers tamed, continents conquered and vast oceans joined.
Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.
The nineteenth century saw the creation of some of the world's most incredible feats of engineering. Deborah Cadbury explores the history behind the epic monuments that spanned the industrial revolution from Brunel's extraordinary Great Eastern, the Titanic of its day that joined the two ends of the empire, to the Panama Canal, that linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans half a century later.
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World recreates the stories of the most brilliant pioneers of the industrial age, their burning ambitions and extravagant dreams, their passions and rivalries as great minds clashed. These were men such as Arthur Powell-Davis, the engineer behind the Hoover Dam, who dreamed of creating the largest dam in the world by diverting the entire Colorado river, one of the worlds most dangerous and unpredictable, or John Roebling, who lost his life creating the Brooklyn Bridge, the longest suspension bridge ever built. These are also the stories of countless unsung heroes – the craftsmen and workers without whose perseverance nothing would have been achieved, not to mention the financiers and shareholders hanging on for the ride as fortunes – and reputations – were lost and won.
Cadbury leads us on an amazing journey from the freezing snows of the Alps to the mosquito-ridden wilds of the Central American jungle as we see uncontrollable rivers tamed, continents conquered and vast oceans joined.
Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Deborah Cadbury
23 books177 followersDeborah Cadbury is an award-winning British author and BBC television producer specialising in fundamental issues of science and history, and their effects on modern society.
After graduating from Sussex University in Psychology and Linacre College, Oxford she joined the BBC as a documentary maker and has received numerous international awards, including an Emmy, for her work on the BBC's Horizon strand.
She is also the highly-acclaimed author of The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, The Feminisation of Nature, The Dinosaur Hunters, The Lost King of France and Space Race.
(Source: Wikipedia, HarperCollins)
After graduating from Sussex University in Psychology and Linacre College, Oxford she joined the BBC as a documentary maker and has received numerous international awards, including an Emmy, for her work on the BBC's Horizon strand.
She is also the highly-acclaimed author of The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, The Feminisation of Nature, The Dinosaur Hunters, The Lost King of France and Space Race.
(Source: Wikipedia, HarperCollins)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 23, 2021
-- 4.5 stars --
Very well written, was actually quite surprised just how many people died on each of the projects
Very well written, was actually quite surprised just how many people died on each of the projects
May 16, 2025
I read a book 🥳
April 3, 2022
Read this book in one breath, extremely well-written and very easy to imagine the sets, the circumstance and the atmosphere reigning all around each huge project realized. It's simply marvelous, how much dedication, persistence and effort it took to create those miracles of modern times that we are now so used to. This book, for me, focused on explaining how even about a hundred years ago the technology didn't allow for much comfort and safety at the building site, yet there were actually a lot of people, seemingly average, that carried this inner drive within them to be a part of something new, huge, surreal and risk their lives for it.
I was blown away by the sheer willpower of the men, who firstly imagined and secondly believed in their fruits of imagination enough to go on speaking about them, spreading ideas, gathering funds and support.
What an inspiration!
The way this book is written truly makes one believe (and see how it was enacted time after time in real life) that if you can dream it, you can achieve it.
I was blown away by the sheer willpower of the men, who firstly imagined and secondly believed in their fruits of imagination enough to go on speaking about them, spreading ideas, gathering funds and support.
What an inspiration!
The way this book is written truly makes one believe (and see how it was enacted time after time in real life) that if you can dream it, you can achieve it.
February 2, 2008
I read the hardback version...
This book is an excellent tie-in to the BBC TV programme of the same name. Filled with historical data concerning The Great Easter, Bell Rock Lighthouse, Brooklyn Bridge, London Sewers, Transcontinental Railroad, Panama Canal and The Hoover Dam.
It sounds dry... but what you read and learn will leave you amazed at the skill and injenuity of the engineers involved... and the often "labour of love" that their monumental projects were.
This book is an excellent tie-in to the BBC TV programme of the same name. Filled with historical data concerning The Great Easter, Bell Rock Lighthouse, Brooklyn Bridge, London Sewers, Transcontinental Railroad, Panama Canal and The Hoover Dam.
It sounds dry... but what you read and learn will leave you amazed at the skill and injenuity of the engineers involved... and the often "labour of love" that their monumental projects were.
November 22, 2013
Deborah Cadbury has a superb turn of phrase and the knack explaining complex engineering in a way that non specialists can understand.
July 1, 2026
DNF
I only read one of the seven wonders, but was disappointed by this book. The introduction was really well written, providing a sense of why the “wonders” of the Industrial Age were important, judging the world through the lens of the 1800s, highlighting just how difficult tasks like making lighthouses or boats were in those days, but also that we still depend on the works like the Brooklyn Bridge and the London sewer system.
Unfortunately, the first story—Brunel’s Great Eastern ship—was poorly told. The story should have been not just WHAT was done, but HOW it was done in the context, and most importantly, WHY it was done and WHY it matters. The author, Deborah Cadbury, gives figures like costs, which often have no context in today’s numbers, or fails to properly explain the importance. The Great Easter chapter bogged down so much in Brunel’s infighting with the architect, and his difficult in getting it launched, that we became lost in the minutiae of unimportant details rather than discussing the London-Australia route, transcontinentalism etc.
Too many trees, not enough forest.
I only read one of the seven wonders, but was disappointed by this book. The introduction was really well written, providing a sense of why the “wonders” of the Industrial Age were important, judging the world through the lens of the 1800s, highlighting just how difficult tasks like making lighthouses or boats were in those days, but also that we still depend on the works like the Brooklyn Bridge and the London sewer system.
Unfortunately, the first story—Brunel’s Great Eastern ship—was poorly told. The story should have been not just WHAT was done, but HOW it was done in the context, and most importantly, WHY it was done and WHY it matters. The author, Deborah Cadbury, gives figures like costs, which often have no context in today’s numbers, or fails to properly explain the importance. The Great Easter chapter bogged down so much in Brunel’s infighting with the architect, and his difficult in getting it launched, that we became lost in the minutiae of unimportant details rather than discussing the London-Australia route, transcontinentalism etc.
Too many trees, not enough forest.
July 31, 2021
This was an interesting read and I really enjoyed most of the book. At times it seemed to go into too much detail while also skipping past important aspects of a project (although that could be due to lack of material considering how long ago these projects were built). The writing is easy to read while also doing a nice job explaining technical details.
As mentioned by other reviewers, the one thing this book is really lacking are photos, diagrams, technical drawings, etc. It can be hard to visualize these projects, especially if you aren't an engineer. Having something to refer to while reading would have been really useful.
Overall, if you're interested in grand engineering projects you will probably enjoy this book despite a few shortcomings.
As mentioned by other reviewers, the one thing this book is really lacking are photos, diagrams, technical drawings, etc. It can be hard to visualize these projects, especially if you aren't an engineer. Having something to refer to while reading would have been really useful.
Overall, if you're interested in grand engineering projects you will probably enjoy this book despite a few shortcomings.
November 27, 2017
Having watched at least two episodes of this dramatised for the BBC on Netflix, I cheated and didn't read those chapters.
The others, while good, glossed over too many things I wanted to know more about and went into random details I didn't care about.
A good general introduction, but if you really want to know any detail about the creation of these "wonders" read something about each explicitly.
The others, while good, glossed over too many things I wanted to know more about and went into random details I didn't care about.
A good general introduction, but if you really want to know any detail about the creation of these "wonders" read something about each explicitly.
September 30, 2018
I didn’t want this book to finish.
I did notice that the first Wonder was actually missing from my Kindle version! 😶
I did notice that the first Wonder was actually missing from my Kindle version! 😶
November 30, 2018
A great companion to the series with a lot more detail. Well written.
Read
March 2, 2024Awesome challenges faced by awesome engineers but at what cost to the lives of all those just seeking a living…
August 2, 2024
This was such a wonderful and interesting book. I can't believe I never read it before. I learned so much while reading about these wonderful wonders. its a keeper.
February 24, 2026
Who needs fiction(?)
December 30, 2020
really interesting; would recommend to anyone
March 8, 2021
I watched the tv series that this book accompanies a long time ago and loved it. I like architecture and bridges, dams and engineering and this was really well done. The series was done in a docudrama format where it had facts combined with dramatisation and it made it more interesting and fun.
The book was good too and brought each episode back for me. My favourites were the Great Eastern as I am a fan of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favourite bridges), the Bell Rock Lighthouse which was a fascinating story and the Hoover Dam (I love dams!). The Panama Canal was also good as I like canals but wasn’t as interesting as I was expecting and both the London Sewer system was okay and the Trans Atlantic railroad as well.
Overall it was an enjoyable book it gave you enough but not too much on each so it got boring.
4 stars
The book was good too and brought each episode back for me. My favourites were the Great Eastern as I am a fan of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favourite bridges), the Bell Rock Lighthouse which was a fascinating story and the Hoover Dam (I love dams!). The Panama Canal was also good as I like canals but wasn’t as interesting as I was expecting and both the London Sewer system was okay and the Trans Atlantic railroad as well.
Overall it was an enjoyable book it gave you enough but not too much on each so it got boring.
4 stars
April 15, 2016
A bit of a stretch to give it 3 stars, but the subject 7 great projects are very interesting to me. My main problem is the author is writing about engineering and design elements she really doesn't understand, so much of the technical aspects of the projects come across in a confused manner.
She also tends to overly dramatize risk aspects of the projects, but I recommend this book for everyone with an interest in large human endeavors.
A major shortcoming is the book has no maps, charts, and illustrations in subject matter that cries out for all three.
She also tends to overly dramatize risk aspects of the projects, but I recommend this book for everyone with an interest in large human endeavors.
A major shortcoming is the book has no maps, charts, and illustrations in subject matter that cries out for all three.
January 18, 2014
This wonderful book speaks about the engineering marvels civil engineers have worked on back in the 1800's and even 1900's which even today stands as proof to what human beings are capable of archiving.
The Hoover Dam, Panama canal, Bell Rock Lighthouse, Sewer King, Great Ship, Brooklyn Bridge and the Line are sections of the book describing how individual engineers had personal dreams to conquer and in so doing, have even given up their very lives to make their dreams become reality.
The Hoover Dam, Panama canal, Bell Rock Lighthouse, Sewer King, Great Ship, Brooklyn Bridge and the Line are sections of the book describing how individual engineers had personal dreams to conquer and in so doing, have even given up their very lives to make their dreams become reality.
September 8, 2016
A wonderful book which covers several fascinating people in the Industrial age and the great accomplishments which they achieved.
It goes hand in hand with the series of the same name. Also worth a view and provides another medium which is both entertaining and informative on the subject matter.
89 %
It goes hand in hand with the series of the same name. Also worth a view and provides another medium which is both entertaining and informative on the subject matter.
89 %
October 22, 2011
Read the book then saw the TV series about 18 months later. Enlightening, thought provoking and interesting. Also a good reminder of how lifestyles have changed but individuals have not.
December 5, 2019
Brilliant, exciting, informative, amazing, I could go on, and on......
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews