British Canals: Is their resuscitation practicable?

"British Canals: Is their resuscitation practicable?" by Edwin A. Pratt is a look back at canals in Britain from around one hundred years ago. It thinks about whether these old canals could have a new life, even though trains were becoming more popular. Pratt talks about the past, the science and building of canals, and how they affected the economy. He really wanted everyone to understand if bringing canals back was a good idea or not. The book starts by talking about a group called the Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways, which shows that people were starting to wonder if canals could be useful again. Pratt writes about how different people had different ideas, like business people wanting cheaper ways to move goods, and builders wanting to fix up the old canals. However, he also says that some people with money to invest didn't think canals could really work in the modern world, which means that not everyone agreed on the best path forward. This sets the scene for the rest of the book, which looks closely at whether fixing up canals was a good idea, based on both old successes and what was happening at the time the book was written.