The Perfectionists

How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World

By: Simon Winchester

Narrated by: Simon Winchester

The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future.

The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider.

Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia.

As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?

Inspiring stories about genius engineers.

The book is 100% readable by non-engineering types such as myself. Reading about the geniuses overcoming particular problems was exciting. I bought both the Kindle and the Audible editions and finished the book in about two and a half days. The book will probably inspire some people to go into the field of engineering.

Marvelous book from a master story teller.

Winchester never fails to deliver an entertaining, informative and engrossing story.

He weaves together innovators from times past to the present in a virtually seamless story.

He is a master story teller. You will love this book

the evolution of measurement

Simon Winchester does a great job of walking us through the evolution of measurement and how it has influenced the simple and the complex. As usual, Winchester does it with a highly illuminated narrative and his wonderful narration.

Great stories from measurement history..

Great stories from measurement history..though it might not be for everyone. Exquisite detail might be "too far in the weeds" for some. It is all tied together, though, with interesting accounts of people, events, and the star of the show, manic-driven measurement.

This is one I will listen to again.

Absolutely amazing.

An outstandingly captivating journey from hand made tools to atom-sized microprocessors. A must for anyone interested in the engineerd world