Describes the shops, working methods, and products of the different types of tradesmen and craftsmen who shaped the early American economy.

Excellent study examines lives and work of American cabinetmakers, silversmiths, pewterers, printers, painters, blacksmiths, and many other artisans, before 1775. "A fascinating study." — The New Yorker. 18 illustrations.

Describes the industries, schools, society, culture, and growth of the coastal settlements during the colonial period.

Superlative text and illustrations enliven this revision of a classic originally published in 1959.

In the struggle to create an indigenous industry, in the efforts to encourage and support the work of metals craftsmen, in the defiance of British attempts to regulate manufacturing of metals, the colonial society developed a metals technology that became the basis for future industrial growth.