ABOUT THIS BOOK

A case study of the technological, economic, and intellectual trends during Germany’s industrial revolution

The life of Rudolf Diesel, a man who achieved a power plant with the potential for revolutionizing industry and transportation. Diesel demonstrated that he possessed both the scientific insight and technical skill needed to create the diesel engine.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Donald E. Thomas, Colonel, Emeritus Professor of History, Virginia Military Institute.

REVIEWS

“Well documented and well-illustrated. Highly recommended.”
—CHOICE

“This is a finely crafted biography that goes beyond the usual limits of the genre.”
—Nature

“The life of Rudolf Diesel invites attention. Here was a man with a brilliant achievement to his credit, a novel power plant with the potential for revolutionizing industry and transportation. The creation of the diesel engine called for both scientific insight and technical skill, and Diesel demonstrated convincingly that he possessed both. . . . Thomas has told the Diesel story thoroughly and with understanding.”
—The Scientist

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction

1.
Rudolf Diesel and the Nature of the Inventor

2.
Diesel, German Engineers, and the Social Question

3.
The Invention of the Diesel Engine

4.
From Invention to the Development of a Working Engine

5.
From Development to Marketability: The Early Years of the Diesel Engine

Conclusion

Epilogue:
The Triumph of an Invention

Appendixes

1.
Chronology of the Invention and Development of the Diesel Engine, 1878–1897

2.
Concluding Remarks from Diesel's 1892 Manuscript “Theorie und Construction eines rationellen Wärmemotors”

Notes

Bibliographical Essay

Index