Flushed With Pride; The Story of Thomas Crapper.

by Wallace Reyburn

Describes the nineteenth-century London plumber's contributions to sanitary engineering

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

95 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Osiris Oliphant]

he was so excited to use the highest toilet on earth and especially to take in the one of a kind view from that toilet, but finding no windows in the bathroom(!!), declared the just finished eifel tower to be a complete failure. or a sick joke?. personal attack? until then he had taken for granted that the one of a kind view from a toilet far above paris was the whole reason the thing was built. or why anyone would visit it.

[John Mccullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may sound like a joke, but Thomas Crapper was a significant inventor in Victorian and Edwardian England. Our term "crapper" for the toilet derives from the ubiquity of toilets encountered by US doughboys filing through England during "The Great War" of 1914-1918. Of interest - the Brits never used the term until it crept back to them from the US. Crapper was a poor kid born in Yorkshire in 1837. At age 11 he walked several hundred miles to London to look for work. Work started at age 7 or 8, so 11 was not outrageously young then. He found work with a plumber, learned the trade and tn years late began his own business. Being of an inventive sort, he tried to improve the toilet mechanism so that flushing would be easy and reliable on the new-fangled indoor privies being placed in wealthier English homes. He did it, and then went on to patent many other inventions that made life easier, usually associated with toilets, but also others such as treads to make stairs safer. His only child died in infancy but he helped employ many other relatives. His pride and joy was receiving a number of royal endorsements (warrants).

This invention may seem like a joke, but Victorian and pre-Victorian inventions or developments made life easier and safer in small increments. Wedgewood produced cheap ceramic dinnerware which reduced bacterial contamination on eating utensils. The cotton gin made cotton cheap - the price dove 80% from 1800 to 1860, so more people could have cheaper clothing, including underwear. Medicine improved by leaps and bounds with the discovery of germs and the development of the science of epidemiology by Dr. John Snow and his work on cholera in London's Soho. And Mr Thomas Crapper helped to make the world a nicer, cleaner less"fragrant" place by instituting a reliable mechanism for disposal of human waste. The author fills the book with many puns and humorous anecdotes: When Queen Victoria saw many sheets of paper floating in the River Cam at Cambridge she asked what they were (toilet paper, of course from open sewer deposits). Dr. Whewell, master of Trinity replied, "Those, ma'am, are notices that bathing is forbidden."

This is a short, popular history book without references but packed with information. It is highly readable and very informative, much knowledge squeezed into a small package. Amaze for friends with material gleaned from the book about toilet types, the origin of the words "crapper" and "loo" and water closet and, of course, the life of Thomas Crapper.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hysterical. I found this on the shelf while weeding the adult non-fiction. The story of the dude who invented the toilet, Thomas Crapper! I'm the first to check it out since 1986. Can't wait to read it.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so funny and interesting. Written by a plumbing enthusiast in the UK, this will give you something to think about when you next flush.

[Wayne Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of good s&;&t !

[Marj Handog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most entertaining way to learn about the history of the most (usually) unspoken human activity. Thomas Crapper–definitely not forgetting this name.

[Eric S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished re-reading this book about this clever inventor and rated it a 4. Although some people will think this book should only be a number 2 and would see reading it as pissing their time away.

This rarely honored genius walked 165 miles from Yorkshire to London to look for work at the age of eleven. That started his career in sanitary appliances. The book does an excellent job of describing the conditions of the time and the need for sanitation improvement.

The book details how the need for saving water led to Crapper's most famous invention. This unit with only one moving part could start the appropriate flow of water and drain the cistern. Gravity did the rest. This wasn't Mr. Crapper's only invention, as the author states,
"Crapper's development of the Valveless Water Waste Preventer was no mere flush in the pan. He went on to other things. His inventiveness knew no bounds."

Crapper pioneered things like the seat action automatic flush toilet. Not some stupid infrared device that either activates too soon or not at all which many modern public lavatories have. Ladies that "need to shake the dew off the lily" have had some rude surprises with these. No, we're talking something solid that really worked when you wanted it to. Speaking of solid, his work used real wood seats not the modern plastic ones which become insecure with time.

The book has numerous black and white illustrations and is a very fun and informative read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Crapper (plumbing genius to be) walked 165 miles from Yorkshire to London to look for work at the age of eleven. That started his career in sanitary appliances.
I picked this up in a thrift store at some point just for the title and it's been on the shelf for quite some time. It was way more interesting than I expected.
One of my favorite lines: "Crapper's development of the Valveless Water Waste Preventer was no mere flush in the pan."
The print is rather small, but the book is also, with only 95 pages. There are numerous black and white illustrations.

[Pat Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The parent of one of my wife’s students loaned her this book, and she was so intrigued by it that I took it up. There’s plenty of toilet history here, but it’s also a fascinating glimpse at Victorian practices as well.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and fascinating in equal measure. Packed with biographical, sociological and engineering detail. You might expect to have been introduced to the Drain Grenade and the Climax Relief Valve but couldn’t reasonably have been expecting to learn of Mr Crapper’s contribution to stair safety.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting history of the flushing toilet, and told in a really lovely narrative style.

[Craig Vann · Rating 2 out of 5]

An entertaining, albeit not particularly well-written, book.

[Jodi Ralston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little book.

[Jo-elle Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book was a big surprise. I thought I'd have to slog through it, but it was absolutely fascinating. Victorian plumbing... Who knew it was so interesting?!?!

[James Emmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny book.