Industrial Enlightenment explores the transition through which England passed between 1760 and 1820 on the way to becoming the world s first industrialised nation In drawing attention to the important role played by scientific knowledge it focuses on a dimension of this transition which is often overlooked by historians The book argues that in certain favoured regions England underwent a process whereby useful knowledge was fused with technological know how to produce the condition described here as Industrial Enlightenment At the forefront of the process were the natural philosophers who entered into a close and productive relationship with technologists and entrepreneurs Much of the evidence for this study is drawn from the extraordinary archival record of the activities of Matthew Boulton 1728 1809 and his Soho Manufactory The book will appeal to those keen to explore the dynamics of change in eighteenth century England and to those with a broad interest in the cultural history of science and technology