Series Editor: Joyce Brown, formerly Imperial College London, UK

‘The aim of Ashgate's twelve volume series is to bring together collections of important papers on particular topics from scholarly journals, conference proceedings and other hard-to-access sources.  This is a wholly laudable objective.  Some of the papers in the volume under review [The Civil Engineering of Canals and Railways before 1850] cannot be found even in abundantly-resourced academic libraries.  The series opens up, directly or indirectly, debates over the nature of historical evidence which arise from the profoundly different approaches to the past of historians of technology, whose works are principally represented in these volumes, industrial archaeologists and social and economic historians.’
Industrial Archaeology Review, Vol. XXI, No. 1 (1999)

'All 12 volumes comprise a remarkable collection of information and references if you can afford it... it is an excellent series with a vast amount of information... It is a marvellous collection of articles by some of the most noted scholars in the field.'
Industrial Archaeology Review, XXIV: 2, 2002

‘...strongly recommended for both public and academic libraries...The subject matter covered in each volume is timeless and will remain long into the future a valued piece of a library’s collection.’
E-STREAMS, Vol. 5, No. 1 (January 2002)

'...the juxtaposition of articles will further the process of questioning and elaborating agenda for the history of technology and encourage further dialogue among engineering historians and industrial archaeologists.'
Archives, 2000

From dams to cathedrals, from water supply to transport systems, and from land drainage to the design and construction of ever larger and more monumental buildings, the impact of civil engineering on human history has been immense. This series sets out to examine key aspects of its history, from antiquity to the early 20th century.

Studies in the History of Civil Engineering focuses on the following areas: the analysis of early structures to discover how ancient or medieval builders used the materials available to them, and the principles upon which they worked; the ideas and practices of design as employed by both engineers and architects; the development of new materials and techniques, from wooden trusses to cast iron and concrete; the investigation of the great engineering projects that began to burgeon with the 18th century, first in Britain, then elsewhere, underpinned by advances in science which provided a new theoretical framework upon which to base the engineering.
 
These volumes reveal the implications for the history of architecture of choices of material, technique and structure. They aim also to reflect the political and economic constraints which so often shaped what could be achieved, and the inter-relationship between the history of civil engineering and economic history: the engineering was both stimulated by, and made possible the spread of industrialization. Not least, the series is concerned to examine the lives, attitudes and careers of the men who emerged to form the new profession of the engineer.

Studies in the History of Civil Engineering comprises 12 volumes. Each focuses on a particular topic, edited by an expert in that field. They reprint a selection of papers which have proved of particular importance, and which exemplify the current state of knowledge and the historiography. Originally published in wide range of scholarly journals, conference proceedings and the like, many hard to consult, these papers are now reprinted together under hard covers, making them readily accessible, even for non-specialists.

Each volume opens with a substantial new introduction by the editor, to assess the field and place the papers in their context, and is fully indexed. The series constitutes an authoritative reference library, not just for those interested in the history of civil engineering, but also those studying economic history and the history of science and, above all, of architecture.

All 12 volumes in this series are now available.

Editorial Board

N.A.F. Smith 
A.W. Skempton
Mike Chrimes
R.J.M. Sutherland