The age of steam engines brought with it the ever-present possibilities of horrendous explosions. It was no surprise, then, that around the middle of the 19th century, the steam gauge made its appearance and soon was found wherever a steam engine was used. Steam gauges were used everywhere, in great numbers and varieties. Some were strictly utilitarian in appearance; others were beautiful decorated. They were manufactured to perform multitudes of tasks, and one of the most interesting facets of steam gauge collecting is determining just what task your gauge was designed to do. Author Barry David provides an enormous amount of information in this book that helps the collector learn about his gauge: when it was made, what job it was designed to do, how it did this job, who made it, and for what company it was made. There are chapters on The Gauge Makers, Discovery (learning the basic facts about a particular gauge), Cleaning and Restoring Steam Gauges, Railroad Gauges, Fire Engine Gauges, Portable and Traction Engine Gauges, Marine (Nautical ) Gauges, Press Gauges, Gauge Appliances and Recorders, and Gauge Patents. There is also a section with color pictures as well as a Bibliography and Index. If you are a collector, or a student of technological history, you will find this book to be an invaluable addition to your library.