Guest Smiling-Knife Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I am interested in learning more about the history on the Sheffield cutlery industry. I have Tweedale's Sheffield Knife Book, Flooks Military Knife book and the book about Stan Shaw. Are there any other books about the cutlery industry that you recommend? These need not be focused directly on cutlery but maybe more general history or maufacturing with sections on cutlery. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 One to try and get from the library, for two reasons - the price £39 second-hand (I have seen it listed at £150-£200 !!!) ! and its a very heavy read ... I took it on a transatlantic flight so I couldn't get away from it, though jumping out the window did start to have a strange appeal after 5 hours ! The Fiery Blades of Hallamshire: Sheffield and Its Neighbourhood, 1660-1740 (Leicester Studies in English Local History) (Hardcover) by David Hey (Author) Synopsis at : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiery-Blades-Halla...144&sr=1-13 Personally, I wouldn't recommend spending that amount of money on it ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smiling-Knife Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Thanks very much for the recommendation. I keep an eye open for that one at a good price. One never knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Thanks very much for the recommendation. I keep an eye open for that one at a good price. One never knows. I waited 2 years £39 is a great price ! Not worth it. When I find mine you can pay the postage there and back and borrow it ! Or try the library, preferably a big one, or the University. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Aspects of Sheffield 1 - Edited by Melvyn Jones about £13 new, available on Amazon cheaper. Contains : Buttonmaking in Sheffield The Stovegrate industry of Sheffield The Electro-Plate Controversy Wrought Iron and Sheffield's Last Puddler + other non-Steel Sheffield history. Recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Aspects of Sheffield 2 - Edited by Melvyn Jones £10-£12 new, cheaper if you pinch it and run like Hell ! Contains : John Spencer's Baltic Trade in Sheffield Wares Sheffield Assay Masters and Assay Offices John Watts, Manufacturer, Lambert Street Mrs Miggins Pie-Shoppe; you needed choppers of Titanium to get through the crust Henry Bessemer, Sheffield's Radical Steelmaker + others Recommended, though I may have made one of the articles up lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Aspects of Rotherham 2 - Edited by Melvyn Jones blah, blah ... Templeborough Steelworks, 1916-93 Rotherham as a Market Town OK, less relevant than Sheffield books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Blah, drone etc Aspects of Rotherham 3 - Edited by Melvyn Jones blah, blah ... The Stove Grate Industry of Rotherham + stuff OK, less relevant than Sheffield books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I own copies of the above, I don't own this ... Steel City: Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Technology in Sheffield 1743-1993: Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Technology in Sheffield, 1743-1993 (Hardcover) by Geoffrey Tweedale (Author) £78 ! Amazon. Yeah, right ... Book Description Why has British steelmaking declined? This, the first single-volume study of Sheffield steel, cutlery, and tools, charts the history of Sheffield steel from its origins in the 1740s to 1993, when it was no longer the major employer in the region. Drawing upon company records, contemporary documentation, and interviews with many businessmen and technologists, it provides an indispensable chronology and also relates business strategies to current debates about entrepreneurship and UK decline. Synopsis The book focuses on the historical evolution of firms, and industry leaders and their strategies. Sheffield's experience is then related to current historical and economic debates about industrial structure, entrepreneurship and UK decline. Sheffield is revealed (with some important qualifications) as a remarkably enduring and successful centre; and also a highly complex one, which cannot be fitted easily into present theories of mass production and entrepreneurial failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smiling-Knife Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Thanks for the recommendations and the offer to borrow your book. Much appreciated. I may take-up your offer at some point in the future. The last recommendation, does that discuss the invention and early days of stainless steel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zorro Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Thanks for the recommendations and the offer to borrow your book. Much appreciated. I may take-up your offer at some point in the future. The last recommendation, does that discuss the invention and early days of stainless steel? I remember reading that stainless steel was invented by accident by a cannon maker who was trying various alloys in an attempt to make stronger gun barrels which would then allow more gunpowder to be used thus propelling the cannon ball further and imparting more penetration at shorter ranges. The story was that unsatisfactory cannon were left outside in the yard to be recycled later, and it was noticed several months later that one of the cannons had not started to rust, and this was the one made from stainless steel! I also seem to recall during the late nineties that sheffield actually broke the record for quantity of steel produced in one year which had stood since 1943, can't remember the tonnage, but it was reported that this had been achieved with a workforce of 12,000 compared to 120,000 in 1943. I will have a look for the book that refers to the invention of stainless steel, it may still be at home if the dog/mice/grandchildren/wife haven't chewed/eaten/borrowed/thrown it out. zorro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 In a small proof of "Do right by others, and you'll be alright yourself" I was looking for details of a book I've known about for years. Details Mesters to Masters: A History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire (Hardcover) by Clyde Binfield (Editor), David Hey (Editor) Book Description Founded in 1624, the Cutlers' Company of Hallamshire has played a crucial role in the history of Sheffield, as supervisor and regulator of cutlery and steel trades in Sheffield, `the steel capital of the world'. This book, written by noted scholars and experts, provides a history of the company and its activities. Synopsis Cutlery has been made in Sheffield for at least 700 years. This history of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is a rare opportunity to investigate the changing role of an industry and its locality. Founded in 1624 as an exclusive craft guild, the Cutlers' Company originally controlled the whole of the cutlery trade around Sheffield by sanctioning trade marks and apprenticeships. Stripped of its power by parliament in the early 19th century, when it was seen as being too powerful, it has since played a crucial role in protecting trademarks and representing the interests of the cutlery and steel trades more generally. From Masters to Masters not only presents a history of the company and its role at the heart of local trade and industry, but also provides a detailed description of the Cutlers' Hall, one of Sheffield's best-known buildings. The book also includes details of the outstanding collection of cutlery and silverplate housed in the Cutlers' Hall. Rich in detail and drawing on archives held at the Hall, this book will be of great interest to economic and social historians, and those with a particular interest in cutlery and steelmaking in Hallamshire. I've found it a number of times on Amazon,eBay, Mrs Miggins slightly-pastry-encrusted-secondhand books etc etc; lowest price ever £162. So, tonight, looking for the above details to post, like anyone is gonna pay that ... what do I find ? A copy on offer for £17; aye, I'll have that ! Condition "Acceptable", for £17 I'll take a photocopy thank you very much. Three minutes later there are still five copies available to buy ranging from £162 to £396 !!! Must be one hell of a book !!!!! Should it ever arrive, I'll let you know ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zorro Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks for the recommendations and the offer to borrow your book. Much appreciated. I may take-up your offer at some point in the future. The last recommendation, does that discuss the invention and early days of stainless steel? Please excuse drivel I posted earlier on the invention of stainless steel! As usual I recalled the basic fact and then wandered off into a world of my own. Can't find the book I was thinking of but have done some research as much for my own peace of mind as any other reason and have discovered the following:- in 1913 Harry Brearley of Brown Firth research laboratory, Sheffield, was investigating the properties of various alloys in an attempt to devise an errosion resistant gun barrel and invented what he called MARTENISTIC steel, which is generally credited as what we would now call modern stainless steel. Lord alone knows where I got the idea of barrels being left outside in yards the newspaper report is from america dated 1915 , don't know why it took 2 years for it to break but they seemed quite excited once it finally came out. Going to try to find info on steel production I posted, probably got that a**e about face as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 The book "Mesters to Masters" has arrived ! Just got to read it now :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smiling-Knife Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 The book "Mesters to Masters" has arrived ! Just got to read it now Looking forward to reading your review. I just received a new book entitled Heritage of English Knives. It looks excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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