Most Wonderful Machine: Mechanization and Social Change in Berkshire Paper Making, 1801-1885

On a visit to a Berkshire paper mill, the narrator of a Melville short story views the wonderful papermaking machine with awe, calling it a miracle of inscrutable intricacy. Manifesting a similar nineteenth-century fascination with machinery, paper mill owners and workers made an industrial revolution in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, examined here by Judith McGaw. A superb case study of mechanization and social change in the paper industry of Berkshire County. . . . There is a plethora of reasons why this book will be of interest to economic, technological, labor and social historians as well as to students.--Avi J. Cohen, Journal of Economic History Most Wonderful Machine belongs on a list with the mere handful that have offered deep insights into the American industrial revolution and especially into the social relations of mechanization. . . . An extraordinary achievement.--George H. Daniels, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science An especially rewarding chapter is devoted to the 'separate sphere' of women workers.--Stanley Buder, HistoryMcGaw, Judith A. is the author of 'Most Wonderful Machine: Mechanization and Social Change in Berkshire Paper Making, 1801-1885' with ISBN 9780691006253 and ISBN 0691006253.