The Industrial Revolution by Laura L. Frader

The Industrial Revolution: A History in Documents by Laura L. Frader ISBN-13: 9780195128178 Hardcover: 158 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Released: April 6, 2006

Source: Bought used online.

Book Description from Goodreads:
The Industrial Revolution: A History in Documents uses a wide variety of primary source documents to chronicle a period of great international social and technological change that began in England in the 18th century.

Improvements were made to the steam engine that meant that many tasks that had been done by hand in the past could be mechanized. With locomotives and steamships, goods could now be transported very quickly and within a reasonably predictable time. Other changes included the use of iron and steel, invention of new machines that increased production (including the spinning jenny), development of the factory system, and important developments in transportation and communication (including the telegraph). This all led to agricultural improvements, a wider distribution of wealth, political changes reflecting the shift in economic power, and sweeping social changes.

This book relies on primary sources such as personal diaries, advice books, poems, business reports, letters, photos, and essays to tell the story behind this rapidly changing period and its far-reaching effects.


My Review:
The Industrial Revolution is a historical nonfiction book about the Industrial Revolution and is based on documents from the time period. These documents allow the reader to see different views of the changes at the time they were occurring.

The focus started out in England and, as time moved on, to America and parts of Europe. The book started by describing what life was like before the Industrial Revolution and then showed how things changed. It included excerpts from essays, diaries, books, business reports, letters, and even a few poems. It also included black and white photographs and illustrations from the time period. The editors provided some information before the text of each document to help the reader to understand the context of the document.

I found this book to be easy to understand and very informative. I'd highly recommend it to those who want to better understand the social changes--especially those in England--at the time of the Industrial Revolution.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.