The beginnings of cheap steel

"The Beginnings of Cheap Steel" by Philip W. Bishop is a historical exploration into the groundbreaking Bessemer process and its effect on steel production during the mid-1800s. It examines how a number of inventors, including Henry Bessemer, Joseph Gilbert Martien, and Robert Mushet, competed and contributed to make better, cheaper steel. This book pays close attention to the developments before and after the Bessemer method, looking at the problems and new ideas in steel production beginning in the1850s. The author looks at who should get credit for inventing the procedure, carefully studying the different roles of each person to come up with new ways of steel production. It also shows how events such as patent arguments and business fights played a big part in defining what is now a key part of industrial growth. Through detailed research and stories from the period, it shows how these changes affected the steel business and industrial practices in society.