The Tradition of Technology: Landmarks of Western Technology in the Collections of the Library of Congress by Leonard C. Bruno

Abstract

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 755 Prompted by Schaffer’s concerns, we can see the essays in this collection as describing how the complex tasks involved in con­ structing and using scientific instruments are instances of the spe­ cialized kinds of labor required in modern industrial society. How­ ever, scientific research is not just about the construction of elaborate machines and the production of esoteric results; it is also about the supply of qualified personnel and the fixing of standards for industry—as Bruce Hunt shows in his article about the resistance box. Altogether, the essays in this volume provide a stimulating intro­ duction to the study of instruments as part of the history of science and technology. As a museum curator, I was delighted to see this volume devoted to the study ofinstruments, although I found it strik­ ing that most of the articles seem to be based solely on documentary sources rather than actual instruments; even the illustrations are re­ produced from contemporary documents. If the study of instru­ ments develops as the editors hope, perhaps a future volume of Osiris will be devoted to instruments preserved in museum collections. Alan Morton Dr. Morton is senior curator for modern physics at the Science Museum in London. The Tradition ofTechnology: Landmarks of Western Technology in the Col­ lections ofthe Library ofCongress. By Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1995. Pp. ix+356; illustrations, bibliog­ raphy, index. $29.00 (cloth). The Tradition of Technology surveys technology in the Western world, from classical antiquity to the present, through the lens of the collections of the Library of Congress. The author is a senior specialist in the Library’s Science and Technology Division; his com­ panion volume, The Tradition of Science, appeared in 1987. Both books are profusely illustrated, handsomely designed and produced, and a joy to browse. Their constant reference to original texts— manuscripts, books, journals, trade literature, and motion and still pictures—forms an implicit but powerful argument that the me­ dium is part of the message. With such books in hand, it would be hard to argue that digitized information could ever replace tradi­ tional publications. That said, The Tradition ofTechnology is bound to gall most readers of this journal. Problems include a minimal attention to context; a disregard for scholarship (there are no references to secondary sources); errors offact (Telford’s Menai Bridge does not link central England and Ireland, and it’s hard to understand the ways in which the achromatic telescope was built on the Newtonian reflector); and 756 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE stories one might have thought had been long since discredited (such as William Kelly’s successful anticipation of Henry Bessemer’s process of making steel). And, despite an occasional nod toward power relations, the book pays no attention to issues ofrace, gender, or class. I was particularly struck by the author’s heavy reliance on superlatives. Archimedes, “the famed mathematician and mechani­ cal genius” (p. 8), was the first of many outstanding technologists glorified in these pages. James Wattwas “no doubt a real genius” (p. 184); Oliver Evans was “one of the first real American technological geniuses” (p. 187) and he “should occupy the first place in a long line ofAmerican technical geniuses” (p. 189); ifRobert Fulton “had a genius, it was for building logically and systematically on the work ofothers” (p. 192); Sadi Carnotwas a “twenty-eight-year-old genius” (p. 232); and Thomas Edison was an “inventive and opportunistic genius” (p. 233). John Harrison had “preternational mechanical sense” (p. 202), while Joseph Henry “should be considered one of the saints of science and technology” (p. 235). In addition, some technologies were brilliant or great, while some devices were most important, most famous, or most remarkable. Because The Tradition ofTechnology is clearly aimed at a wide audi­ ence, the criticisms I am offering are particularly disturbing. Most scholars would be able to fill in the missing context or approach the hyperbole with a grain of salt. But well-offengineers might read this book as confirmation of their most egregious prejudices. Deborah Jean Warner Ms. Warner is curator of the physical sciences collection at the National Museum of American...