The steam engine familiarly explained and illustrated; with an historical sketch of its invention and progressive improvement; its applications to navigation and railways; with plain maxims for railway speculators. By the Rev. Dionysius Lardner ... With additions and notes by James Renwick ...

PREFACE. 11
also this peculiarity, that to understand and appreciate their excellence requires little previous or subsidiary knowledge. A simple and clear explanation,
divested as far as possible of technicalities, and
assisted by well selected diagrams, is all that is
necessary to render the principles of the construction
and operation of the Steam Engine intelligible to
a person of a plain understanding and moderate
information.
The purpose for which this volume is designed,
as already explained, has rendered necessary the
omission of many particulars which, however interesting and instructive to the practical mechanic or
professional engineer, would have little attraction
for the general reader. Our readers require to be
informed of the general principles of the construction
and operation of Steam Engines, rather than of their
practical details. For the same reasons we have confined ourselves to the more striking and important
circumstances in the history of the invention and
progressive improvement of this machine, excluding
many petty disputes which arose from time to time
respecting the rights of invention, the interest of
which is buried in the graves of their respective
claimants.
In the descriptive parts of the work, we have been
governed by the same considerations. The application of the force of steam to mechanical purposes has
been proposed on various occasions, in various countries, and under a great variety of forms. The list
of British patents alone would furnish an author of
common industry and application with matter to