U.S.A., The Permanent Revolution

The book provides an important contribution to the technological and commercial history of crucible and electric steelmaking by thoroughly examining its development in Sheffield and American centres such as Pittsburgh It also discusses cutlery saw and file manufacturing where the Americans quickly shed Sheffield s traditional technologies and with the help of superior marketing established a word lead by 1900 It is also shown however that this did not free the US from its dependence on Sheffield steel Sheffield s innovation in special steelmaking which began with the Hunstman crucible process in 1742 continued with a series of brilliant firsts which gave the world tool manganese silicon vanadium and stainless steel alloys Thus the US continued to draw from Sheffield know how even in the twentieth century a transfer of technology that was facilitated by the foundation of Sheffield s own subsidiary firms in America the history of which is recounted here