Abstract After more than forty years work, Prof. Laine has finally completed his study of the Finnish Iron and Copper Industries 1809–1884. His 2000-page account is extremely detailed. Vol. I aims at providing a synthesis of all the separate aspects of development. Vol. II contains monographs on all the iron and copper works, Vol. III on all the mines, bloomeries and metal factories. Thus, these. two volumes, apart from their independent value for local historical research, provide the main, though not the only, source material for Vol. I. This being so, it is understandable that Vol. I was not the first to be published; the printing of the third volume was delayed, however, for technical reasons, and it was, in fact, not published until after the synthesis.