The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated With an historical sketch of its invention and progressive improvement; its applications to navigation and railways; with plain axioms for railway speculators

"The Steam Engine Familiarly Explained and Illustrated" by Dionysius Lardner is a book that sets out to clarify the inner-workings of steam engines and to illuminate the machine's profound impact on society. The book traces the invention of the steam engine through stages of refinement, charting its uses in ship travel and the building of railroads. Written for regular people and not academics, it breaks down challenging engineering information to highlight the vital role of steam power in changing the world for the better. Starting with explaining basic ideas of movement, it goes on to describe the connection between nature, human cleverness, and the harnessing of heat and pressure to explain in clear terms the operation of steam engines throughout history.