The most comprehensive and definitive history of the water wheel ever published... Reynolds's study is documented by a staggering number of notes and a vast bibliography, and the text is supplemented by numerous excellent illustrations... An attractive and highly useful source of information. Choice This is an exceptional scholarly work-clearly written, fully documented, and informatively illustrated. Library Journal This lucid, technically precise, and comprehensive study of this key element in the evolution of Western society is a major scholarly contribution. It is also an extremely interesting and readable book that should appeal to anyone with an interest in energy, machinery, or innovation. Science