The opening chapters of this informative book give the history of Cornwall in a nutshell:- the mining, the unforgiving coastline, the wrecks, the climate and the people. Specifically from the mining aspect, we see how the conditions lent themselves to some form of mechanised help with raising tin & copper ore and draing the shafts & tunnels. Newcomen and Watt were the first to provide the engines, but Trevithick saw how these could be improved, much to the dismay of Boulton & Watt, who kept up a litiginous fight against Trevithick for decades.
Trevithick prevailed and also saw that the static engines could be moved around by their own power to the next site, which set into motion the beginning of the railways and motor cars (little realising what this would become in 200 years!)....
This is a well-researched book, with plenty of apposite quotes and comments, but at the same time it is never dull - the story flows like well-turned novel, urging one into the next chapter. The great thing about the book is the way you are constantly kept aware of how new the technology was; and how daunting that power was to those used to the limitations of horse-power. And it reveals the impetuous yet single-minded nature of this ebullient giant who would let nothing stop him in his quest to further Cornish development.
The author opened my eyes to the unsung genius of Trevithick; we all remember Watt as the 'Father of Steam' (he actually hindered progress!) and Stevenson as the 'Inventor of the Railway Engine', but Trevithick made more technical strides - although they were quickly superseded - nontheless, it does not detract from the man's vision and tenacity in the face of opposition from the Patent law and his rivals.
Recommended reading ****

This book had a flimsy plot and none of the characters were appealing. None of them seemed to have 3 dimensions. I was disappointed by this story.

A tautly plotted and grippingly paced novel. The NY locales are brought to life with a gritty, hard-edged realism, and the characters become living, breathing people trapped in a terrifying spiral of death and deceit.

This book is a definate must read. The plot is dynamic and keeps you on your toes. Tony Burton is an author we will be hearing about in the future.

this is an excellent book for anyone as fascinated as me with historic novels. it centres around the lives of the Tatlow family- a small family in a weaving community in Newbridge, England. the story tells of their life, the community, and some history of the area. the story climaxes as the monotonous, regular-set lives of the weavers are thrown into turmoil witht he passing of an enclosure Act in parliament. it sated that the land used by the weavers as common food-growing area and such, is to be taken away for the use of a new farming technique consisting of putting walls around the area. the weavers now have to find new ways to cope with their dillema, and the story of the now ever-changing lives of the Tatlows take new twists and turns during the few decades in which the story stretches. an excellent work of art well worth the trip to the library.

I read this book almost a year ago, but I was prompted to write this review when I discovered (with horror)during a search for books dealing with contemporary Australian film that there was no customer feedback yet for this title! This book is a real treasure, even for those not remotely associated with Australian film. In fact, even divorced from film interests at all, this book is filled with interesting and engaging narrative from fascinating and colourful characters. As a film resource, it is unparralled. There is unfortunately a real poverty of material dealing with current Australian filmmaking that is this absorbing and entertaining. As a recently graduated film student, I would suggest this book as a great resource for film students in all nations, not just Australia. Australian cinema is unique, diverse, and booming on the local and global scene. This book is the most up to date resource that I could find, and by far the most enjoyable, it's just a really good read on so many levels. I really can't reccommend it enough, and I hope someone writes someting as good dealing with Australian film sometime soon.....