'The Architecture of Steam Waterworks and the Victorian Sanitary Crisis', by James Douet
Historic England in Association with Liverpool University Press, 2023. ₤45 Hardback, 136 pages. ISBN: 978-1-80207-753-7
This book should be of mainstream interest to members of GLIAS. It is a wide-ranging work, an overview, not just about steam engines.
Steam engine enthusiasts have not been enthusiastic about this publication but it is not a work about the details of pumping machinery, it is more — a general introductory history of water supply and main drainage which has received some encouraging reviews. The Architecture of Steam Waterworks and the Victorian Sanitary Crisis is for the general reader an excellent introduction to an important and fascinating subject.
Unfortunately the book is presently overpriced for what it is. Hopefully if and when the price is reduced more of our members will be buying copies. Bob Carr