From the back of the book:

The ingenuity, vision, and genius of a handful of engineering pioneers paved the way for America's emergence as the world's leading industrial power. This book tells their stories—an exciting chronicle in the history of engineering in the United States!

Starting with the late eighteenth-century Industrial Revolution, "The Innovators" takes the student on a chronological tour of the first one hundred years of major advances in technology. It examines what the great engineers actually did, the political and economic conditions in which they worked, and the impact of these designers and their work on the nation.

Along the way, students are exposed to the major engineering disciplines and to the basic symbolic expressions necessary to understand these fascinating events. The author reveals the strokes of brilliance behind such landmark developments as the steamboat, electric power, and the rise of the iron and steel industries.

Throughout, students get a powerful perspective on what engineers do and how they reason. They will also see that one key to technological progress is the discovery of fundamental relationships in the physical world of engineering designs. And, perhaps most important, students will discover the powerful social and ethical implications of engineering. In short, "The Innovators" provides the fundamental technological literacy the next generation of civic leaders and engineering innovators needs to propel our nation successfully into the twenty-first century!