Engineering: a very short introduction

Engineering: a very short introduction By David Blockley, published by Oxford University Press, 2012, £7-99, reviewed by Elizabeth Wilson, The Nichols Group, UK

This is one of a major series of pocketbooks designed to provide a stimulating insight into a new subject in everyday language. In this case David Blockley provides a whistle-stop tour of the fundamentals of engineering through the ages, describing the key discoveries and developments and the impacts these have had on people and the environment.

The chapters deal intelligently with the concept of engineering - taking an idea and...