The life and Times of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Angus Buchanan
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 - 1859) is rightly revered as one of the greatest of all engineers. His leading role in the transport revolution of the nineteenth century, and especially in the building of the Great Western Railway, left an indelible mark on the British landscape. His achievements captured the imagination of his contemporaries and subsequent generations. His colossal energy and determination to carry out projects on the largest scale to an extremely high standard set him apart from his rivals.
Brunel tells the story both of the engineer, who followed his father Marc into what was then a new profession, and of the man. It explores his successes and failures, at home and abroad, including both the broad gauge GWR and the SS Great Eastern, bringing out Brunel's imagination, drive and inventiveness. Above all, it sets him in the context of his times, showing both what made him who he was and how he made the most of the great opportunities offered to him.
'The ultimate icon of Victorian Britain turned out to not a portrait of the great white queen but a grainy photograph of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.' --
J MORDAUNT CROOK
'gives a vivid sense of the mixture of ebullience, foresight, hard work and ambition that propelled Brunel to the forefront of British engineering.' --
AILEEN REED
'a worthy successor to Tom Rolt's standard biography.' --
JONATHAN GLANCY
