Introduction

This introduction provides information on the first edition of the Journal of Industrial History published in 1998. It presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a unique perspective on the tension between business regulation and business management and the drive for efficiency and innovation in two industries, railroading and computing. It assesses the networks and affiliations between regional trade associations and business institutions in Philadelphia during the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The book examines the development and formation of Silicon Valley. It addresses the question of what happened to the US machine tool industry after the Second World War. By focusing on the Connecticut Valley Region of western New England, the book examines the key factors that contributed to the rise and fall of the machine tool and precision metalwork industry in the region.