Name: The Most Powerful Idea in the World
ISBN: 9781400067053

William Rosen

"[A] fascinating, wide-ranging narrative ... a staggering work."---Kirkus Revies (starred review) --

A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention

The Most Powerful Idea in the World

"The Most Powerful Idea in the World argues that the very notion of intellectual property drove not only the invention of the steam engine but also the entire Industrial Revolution." -- Back cover.

Jowanza Joseph

This book is a little more detailed than I wanted but helped me understand the importance of stream in the industrial era. Hard to recommend to casual readers because of how dense it is but interesting if you're really into history.

Bryan Alexander

A very entertaining and deeply informative romp through the rise of steam power.

Rosen dives into different aspects of how steam became invention in the 18th century: the Royal Society, intellectual property, painstaking R&D, multiple businessmen scheming, scientific progress. If that sounds daunting, it usually isn't, because Most Powerful Idea has a fine sense of humor and races along with manic energy. 

A key point: steam wasn't so much the thing as the idea of invention. Allied to this: Britain took the lead in industry because it democratized innovation better than any other nation.

Recommended.

The Most Powerful Idea in the World A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention

Reviews

Highlights