The Ingenious Mr Bell: A Life of Henry Bell (1767-1830) Pioneer of Steam Navigation

Henry Bell was the pioneer of steamship navigation. His Comet sailing from Glasgow to Greenock in 1812 was the first commercial steamship service in Europe. This is the first proper biography of the man, born in West Lothian, the fifth son of a millwright, trained in engineering, who was a builder in Glasgow and became a key figure in the new age of steam while an innkeeper in Helensburgh. His background, education, manners and speech distinguished him from many other nineteenth century inventors but Henry Bell was of such independent entrepreneurial spirit and vision to succeed where supposedly better minds had failed. The unsung hero of the steam age.