Why read The Medieval Machine?

Book cover of The Medieval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Ages

Book description

A close examination of the industrial life and institutions of the Middle Ages and of that inventiveness that laid the foundations for our present technologically oriented society

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Medieval Machine as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Richard G. Lipsey

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When we began our research on our book, we were surprised to read challenges to the conventional view we had been taught that the Middle Ages were a time of largely stagnant Western societies. The source of this new view is in several books, including the one recommended here. Gimpel challenges the traditional view writing instead: “The Middle Ages introduced machinery into Europe on a scale no civilization had previously known.” He goes on to chronicle the ingenuity that architects, engineers, and other technicians devoted to innovations in agriculture, light industry, construction, and mining ̶ innovations that anticipated, and were…

From Richard's list on The best books on how technologies have transformed our societies, international relations, and economies.