MEN of IRON: BRUNEL,STEPHENSON and the inventions that shaped the modern world.

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2nd imp.[Complete number line 9 - 2 descending.] FINE/FINE-.Owner's name/inscrptn to front pastedown and partially hidden by dw/dj's front inner flap,has been blacked out with felt-tip pen and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,montage'd b/w photographic and colour thumbnail sketches illustrated front panel of dw/dj with white+gilt lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Some inevitable but minor,superficial scoring/indents to both panels of dw/dj - but without affecting the boards beneath.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp, blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and near immaculate plain white endpapers - front pastedown excepted.UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2nd imp,vii-ixpp+1-206pp [paginated] includes contents list/table, acknowledgements with b/w railway scenic photographic frntis to verso,an introduction,9 chapters,profuse contemporary b/w+colour reproduction illustrations and b/w+colour photographs throughout the text and the book,places to visit,a further reading list,an index and picture credits; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,and a dedication.
'Men of Iron' is the story of two men who were bitter commercial rivals but maintained an astonishing lifelong friendship.Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the great showman of Victorian engineering.Cigar in hand and stovepipe hat on his head,he conducted operations like a circus ringmaster.He built the Thames Tunnel with his father,Marc - and held a banquet in it.Aged only twenty-six,he was made engineer to the most ambitious railway of all time - the Great Western Railway.Ever restless, he moved on to a series of shipbuilding 'greats' - the 'Great Western', the 'Great Britain',and the 'Great Eastern'. Robert Stephenson,son of the bluff,semi-literate northerner George Stephenson,was less flamboyant. However,as creator of the 'Rocket', and designer of thousands of miles of bridges and railways,he too left his iron signature on the face of Britain.Both men had their share of disasters.Stephenson narrowly escaped a manslaughter charge after the collapse of his bridge over the River Dee.Brunel's experiment with atmospheric railways was the most expensive engineering failure of his time.His massive iron ship,the 'Great Eastern',embarrassingly became stuck on her launch site by the Thames.Experts from all over the country offered advice,Stephenson paddled in the mud and gave moral support.Using letters,diaries and notebooks,this beautifully illustrated book examines the legacy of Brunel,Stephenson and their contemporaries - and it counts the human cost of their great feats of engineering. 'MEN of IRON' accompanies the Channel Four series made by Windfall Films. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!
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