Okay, let's be clear: this is not a novel. You won't find a dashing hero or a plot twist on page 42. 'Books Relating to Applied Science' is a snapshot. It's the complete catalog of technical manuals published by E. & F. N. Spon of London in the year 1887. Think of it as the Victorian equivalent of scrolling through a specialist Amazon store, but for steam engines, chemical formulas, and architectural plans.

The Story

The 'story' here is the collective ambition of an age. The catalog is organized by field—engineering, chemistry, manufacturing, agriculture. You move from 'The Pocket Book of Useful Formulas' to 'A Treatise on the Steam Engine' to guides on telegraphy, gas lighting, and sanitation. There's no narrative arc, but there is a powerful through-line: the urgent, hands-on desire to understand, build, and improve the physical world. It documents the tools people were using to literally construct the Industrial Revolution, one bridge, factory, and chemical process at a time.

Why You Should Read It

I love this because it strips away the history-book grand narrative and shows you the nuts and bolts of progress (sometimes literally). It's humbling and thrilling. You see the gaps in their knowledge next to their brilliance. A detailed guide on mine safety sits alongside books with assumptions we now know are wrong. It makes you realize how much was learned by trial and (often catastrophic) error. It’s also strangely intimate. This is what a curious engineer, a savvy factory owner, or an ambitious student would have actually read. You're not reading about history; you're reading the exact instructions history used.

Final Verdict

This is a niche read, but a profoundly cool one. It's perfect for history buffs who want to get their hands dirty, for engineers curious about their field's roots, or for anyone with a soft spot for old catalogs and primary sources. If you prefer fast-paced fiction, look elsewhere. But if you've ever stared at an old brick factory or a wrought-iron bridge and wondered, 'How did they even know how to do that?'—this catalog holds the answers. It's the blueprint for the modern world, sold by the page.