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The New Lunar Society - David Mindell *****

David Mindell's take on learning lessons for the present from the eighteenth century Lunar Society could easily have been a dull academic tome, but instead it was a delight to read. Mindell splits the book into a series of short essay-like chapters which includes details of the characters involved in and impact of the Lunar Society, which effectively kick-started the Industrial Revolution, interwoven with an analysis of the decline of industry in modern twentieth and twenty-first century America, plus the potential for taking a Lunar Society approach to revitalise industry for the future.

We see how a group of men (they were all men back then) based in the English Midlands (though with a strong Scottish contingent) brought together science, engineering and artisan skills in a way that made the Industrial Revolution and its (eventual) impact on improving the lot of the masses possible. Interlaced with this, Mindell shows us how 'industrial' has become something of a dirty word, and how many modern businesses are focused on product innovation without the accompanying need for process innovation, leading in part to a dependence on dangerously frail supply chains to produce anything from cars and IT to vaccines. In part because of the enjoyably bite-sized chapters, this is highly engaging.

The only bit of the book I felt let the reader down was the last few chapters (out of 44 in total). In part this was because the solutions offered seemed weak when compared with the diagnosis, and what had been a dynamic and interesting history seemed to move into more of a business-speak/academic viewpoint which rarely seems to generate usable solutions. I would also have liked to have seen the largely-US bogeyman of the 'military-industrial complex' tackled, as this surely has some implications for the way industry is approached in America.

These are relatively small irritations and omissions, though. Overall, the way that Mindell weaves the story of the development of industry through the interaction of these historical figures and looks for a new way to revive the sector is extremely impressive.

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Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here

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