Entrepreneurial Ventures in Chemistry

An independent historian, Peter Reed has written and spoken widely on nineteenth-century science and technology, in particular chemistry, chemical technology, the environment and early chemical dictionaries. It was while working for National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside that his interest in industrial archaeology and history began. He is an active member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Historical Group, Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry and Newcomen Society. His book Acid Rain and the Rise of the Environmental Chemist in Nineteenth-Century Britain: The Life and Work of Robert Angus Smith was published with Ashgate in 2014.

• Introduction, family firms and entrepreneurship; James Muspratt and the early years, 1793-1822; Entrepreneurial spirit to the fore and overseas disputes, 1822-1840; Gentrification with Seaforth Hall and conflict in the North American trade, 1841-1851; Business expansion and changes in leadership, 1852-1870; Causing a nuisance! ‘The monster nuisance of all’; The Muspratts and advancements in education; Sheridan’s pursuit of chemistry; Patronage of the arts; Business uncertainty and the United Alkali Company, 1871-1890; Political aspirations and civic responsibilities; Innovation, war and further business rationalization, 1891-1926; End of a dynasty, 1926-1934; The Muspratt legacy and the epilogue; Muspratt bibliography; General bibliography; Index.