Scientists and Swindlers: Consulting on Coal and Oil in America, 1820–1890 (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology)

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Synopsis
An “insightful” account of the early fossil fuel industry, the rise of the professional consultant, and the nexus between science and money (Technology and Culture).In this impressively researched, highly original work, Paul Lucier explains how science became an integral part of American technology and industry in the nineteenth century. Scientists and Swindlers introduces us to a new service of professionals: the consulting scientists. Lucier follows these entrepreneurial men of science on their wide-ranging commercial engagements from the shores of Nova Scotia to the coast of California and shows how their innovative work fueled the rapid growth of the American coal and oil industries and the rise of American geology and chemistry. Along the way, he explores the decisive battles over expertise and authority, the high-stakes court cases over patenting research, the intriguing and often humorous exploits of swindlers, and the profound ethical challenges of doing science for money. Starting with the small surveying businesses of the 1830s and reaching to the origins of applied science in the 1880s, Lucier recounts the complex and curious relations that evolved as geologists, chemists, capitalists, and politicians worked to establish scientific research as a legitimate, regularly compensated, and respected enterprise. This sweeping narrative enriches our understanding of how the rocks beneath our feet became invaluable resources for science, technology, and industry.
Copyright:
2008

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
448 Pages
ISBN-13:
9781421402857
Related ISBNs:
9780801890031
Publisher:
Johns Hopkins University Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Science, Business and Finance, Technology, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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