Richard Trevithick: Giant of Steam

by Anthony Burton

Two hundred years ago, Richard Trevithick invented the "Cornish engine," the world's first self-propelled steam vehicle. Yet fame and fortune obstinately eluded this great engineer whose reckless, headstrong nature often made him his own worst enemy. Despite dying in poverty and relative obscurity, he is now recognized as one of the most remarkable figures of the Industrial Revolution, and his extraordinary career, which took him from his native Cornwall to London and then on to 17 years of adventuring in South America, makes for wonderfully lively reading in this biography.

Genres: Biography, Science

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

Born in 1934 Anthony Burton is an author and broadcaster who specialises mostly in industrial and transport history since his first book in the area, The Canal Builders, was published in 1972. As well as canals, railways and other forms of transport, his interests also include the countryside and landscape history.

Reviews

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[19 Mar 2003] An interesting and informative read.