James Watt

Written for the Famous Scots Series in 1905, this short biography traces the life of James Watt (1736-1819), the Glasgow instrument-maker whose improvements to the steam engine helped set the Industrial Revolution in motion. Carnegie follows Watt from his early work repairing instruments at the University of Glasgow through the crucial insight of the separate condenser, his long partnership with the manufacturer Matthew Boulton, and his later years of quiet invention. What sets the book apart is its author: Carnegie, a Scottish-born steel magnate, writes as a fellow countryman and industrialist, mixing the narrative with candid opinions on genius, perseverance, and enterprise. The result is a personal, admiring portrait of the engineer rather than a technical study, worth reading as much for the teller as for the tale.