Exactly

I've recently finished reading this book, it charts the journey of precision, or lack of it in the early days, to the amazing achievements up to 2019 when my edition was published. A bit long winded in places, I enjoyed the read and it reminded me of lots of things I knew but had put into storage!

That looks interesting, I'll have to order a copy. Thanks for the post.

I’ve just bought the Kindle Copy for £3.99.

Just got a hard copy from Amazon for £3.49 and they stung me £3.10 for the postage. It better be good!

BTW, there's a book by the same author entitled the The Perfectionists with the same strap line. Is this the same text under a different cover?

Be careful with Amazon. I have used it before with no problem, but a pop-up appeared offering me a 30 day's free trial of Amazon Prime which I thought I had dismissed. I then received an email welcoming to me to the free trial which I intend to immediately cancel. However, if you click on the cancellation link it provides you with a PDF form which you have to print and then put in the snail mail to an address in Luxembourg so it is going to cost me an international stamp at the post office in the morning. After this nasty little trick I will never ever use Amazon again, period!

To say I am spitting feathers about this at the moment would be an understatement!

Well, now I have calmed down a little it seems you can cancel it online via customer services and my account which I hope I have done, but what what a sneaky thing to do? I am absolutely positive I dismissed the pop-up and went straight to 'basket' and proceed to payment. Anyway, they have now lost me as a customer.

Edited By Chris Crew on 26/07/2022 21:24:43

Edited By Chris Crew on 26/07/2022 21:35:44

Easiest way Chris is don’t use amazon, I avoid it with a passion there are other sites

Thanks for the recommendation,I’ve just ordered a copy. Not from amazon.

Chris,

I had forgotten to cancel a previous month for Prime and credit card statement recently, reminded me to act! Now! What a struggle to cancel. Beware all, of another trick, well as far as I'm concerned it is. Today being Wednesday, I was offered choice to cancel now or Wednesday 24/8. Charged to my CC on 24/6, so if I'd selected cancel on 24/8, they'd probably have charged me again! Needless to say, I read things carefully and took smart option to cancel now. It was only a short term membership in the first place but A P don't (want to) know when to stop. Sorry if off topic.

John

0n topic this time, read that book sometime ago.

John

Hmm, the reviews on Amazon were not encouraging.

I found it a great read.

I bought this some years ago, and it is one of extremely few books I have never finished, the errors and the geewhiz were in the end just too much.

Use abebooks to buy books, whilst it is part of Amazon they keep it very quiet.

Plus 1 for sneaky Amazon. Like Chris C thought I had rejected the offer of Prime. Not discovered until I found a mystery £7.99 on my bank statement. Cancelled and never used Amazon since.

I read Simon Winchester's book Exactly a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. You have to remember Winchester is not an engineer but a journalist who churns out one of his incredibly researched books every year or two. I think it was published as "The Perfectionists" in the USA.

One interesting thing I remember learning was that mass production was pioneered in the USA, by Springfield Armory (in order to churn out guns for their Civil War that could be repaired in the field with standard sized parts), and not in the UK. I had always assumed the UK being the originator of the Industrial Revolution was the home of mass production. But apparently it was imported from the USA after the Civil War ended circa 1770 or so. .

Another interesting tidbit was that earlier than that, it was the invention of the boring machine (in the UK) for making cannon barrels with nice round and parallel bores that allowed James Watt to use the machines to make steam engine cylinders that actually fit the pistons without massive gaps and upped their efficiency no end. So there is nothing modern about the "military-industrial complex".

I get all my books from Book Depository. Shipping cost included in the price so no surprises, and can't be beaten on price usually. (Like everything else though, they are now owned by Amazon but seem to run their own race.)

Edited By Hopper on 27/07/2022 11:27:45

The book is available at https://b-ok.cc/s/Exactly? As an epub free of charge. Also lots of other model engineering stuff.

Martin

Hopper:

In the same vein, I think it was the US sewing machine industry that gave impetus to the practice of grinding machine parts to a finish; Singer et al wisely decided that their product was likely to be driven hard!

Thanks to HB for the recommendation.

Interestingly, Chris, I spit feathers when I'm parched, but I spit tacks when I'm angry. There must be a genetic mutation somewhere in one of our ancestors!

George

Looks a worthwhile read. I have another of Simon Winchester's book, that on the gigantic Krakatoa / Krakatau eruption in 1883; and he dose have a flair for describing technical subjects well to non-specialists without patronising them.

I may well buy it but from a regular shop, not some dubious US Internet-based corporation. Even if slightly more expensive... or would it be by the time you've lumped in shipping-costs and trying to circumvent the Wall Street types?

My understanding of the history of the introduction of mass production is that Marc Brunel (Isambard's dad) built the first ever mass production facility at Plymouth Dockyard making pulley blocks.

Anyone know if this trumps the Americans?

Simon