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This engaging book is a fascinating and comprehensive history of the diesel engine, written by the son of Clessie Cummins, founder of Cummins Engine Co. Conceived by an author who grew up immersed in the evolution of this technology, it is not surprising that this book covers in dramatic detail the entire sweep of Rudolf Diesel's original ideas: the struggles to perfect the diesel, and the creation of an international industry that brought the world's most efficient motor to market. Illustrated with black and white photos and period line drawings, this is a must-read for any serious enthusiast for engine and transportation technology.

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Diesel's Engine is the readable and comprehensive history of the man and the engine. It traces the life of an obsessed engineer and his contemporaries who brought the world's most efficient heat machine to the marketplace. Rudolf Diesel's ideas were often ahead of their time, and his engine endured failures and setbacks until new technologies were found. Only interim, imaginative solu

Author Biography

Lyle Cummins continues his series on the internal combustion engine's heritage. Internal Fire, his introductory volume, is in its second edition. The author is uniquely qualified to tell the diesel story. Raised in the family of America's automo-tive diesel pioneer, his career as a mechanical engineer includes the design, development and marketing of diesel engine retarders and fuel systems for which he received five U. S. patents. He has received several notable awards for his writings on I-C engine history, and continued activity in SAE, his engineering society, and in advanced fuel injection systems has kept him abreast of new technology. Cummins has devoted over two decades exhaustively researching his sub-ject in corporate and museum archives throughout Europe and the United States to provide this definitive history of the diesel.

Table of Contents

Preface & Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Go From Your Country and Your Father''s House Chapter 2 Ice, Ammonia, and Air Chapter 3 The Paper Engine--Carnot''s Legacy Chapter 4 For Sale: A Dream Chapter 5 Trial and Tribulation 1893-1894 Chapter 6 Light at the End of the Tunnel 1895-1896 Chapter 7 Plaudits, Patents, and Purgatory Chapter 8 The Proof of the Pudding 1897-1900 Chapter 9 Diesel''s International Family 1897-1900 Chapter 10 Next Generation Engines Chapter 11 The American Diesel Enterprise Chapter 12 The Prudent Ones Chapter 13 New Ways to Light the Fire Chapter 14 Free and Open Competition Chapter 15 Prophesy Fulfilled: Marine Diesels 1903-1910 Chapter 16 Cargos of Commerce: Marine Diesels 1911-1918 Chapter 17 Cargos of Death: Naval Engines 1911-1918 Chapter 18 Locomotives and Lorries &nbs

Review

" ... eminently readable, even by the mechanically innocent, treating his sub-ject with humor, understanding and affec-tion." -- "Road & Track"
"This new and well researched work by Lyle Cummins has at last provided a very readable account of the work and people concerned in the search for a more effi-cient heat engine cycle." --London Bulletin "The Newcomen Society"
"[In Cummins'] second major work . . . there's an abundance of detail . . . What's more, there's grace that's all too often missing amid the denseness of other technical writing."-- "Road & Track"
"A notable contribution to the history of power technology .... Highly recommend-ed for all libraries." -- "American Library Association"
"Anyone in search of in-depth knowledge of Rudolf Diesel and his engine will want to make sure to read this book. Cummins presents here, in detailed but very readable text, what may be the definitive work on the subject . . . [It's] 'user-friendly, ' and well worth the time spent for the sheer volume of information included."-- "Gas Engine Magazine"
"Cummins uses Diesel's own design and test notebooks, original sources in the archives of early manufacturers, and the personal records of many of the engine's innovaters to interweave Rudolf Diesel's life and ideas with the people and events contributing to the early development of his engine. . . . Highly recommended for library collections in the history of technology, mechanical engineering design, and operating engineers/mechanical engineering technology."-- "Choice, The American Library Association"
"If you are in the diesel business, Diesel's Engine is a must for your library. The book is perhaps the most comprehensive and explicit history of our most efficient internal-combustion engine . . ."-- "Nozzle Chatter, Association of Diesel Specialists"
"It's a treasure trove of information . . . In short, the world will owe a big round of thanks to Lyle Cummins . . . for completing this very impressive work."-- "Wheels of Time, American Truck Historical Society"
"This book is a work of considerable importance in that, for the first time, the complete story behind the early development of the diesel engine is comprehensively told in the English language. The volume is in effect two books; one deals with the development of a practical engine from Rudolf Diesel's initial idea and with the engineering life of Diesel himself whilst the other covers a multitude of engines which resulted from that idea. Both parts are, however, linked together so well by the author that they provide a single volume which is easy to read yet informative and enjoyable. . . .The author provide[s) as extensive a collection of illustrations as are likely to be found anywhere on the topic of diesel engines . . . The entire book is a treasury of information on the early years of the prime mover which now powers the world. Highly recommended both for those who simply want to read the early history of the diesel engine and for those who desire a detailed work of reference on the subject. This work is likely to become the standard on the subject."-- "Marine Engineers Review"
"This new book is an enjoyable and informative . . . treatment of the subject, from its conception in the mind of Rudolf Diesel . . . until 1918. The author is eminently qualified to write on this subject."-- "Waterways Journal"
In both [Internal Fire and Diesel's Engine], Lyle balanced the technical with a great storytelling style and they read like Tom Clancy novels for gearheads.
--Jim Allen "Diesel World" (8/1/2022 12:00:00 AM)

Review Quote

"This new book is an enjoyable and informative . . . treatment of the subject, from its conception in the mind of Rudolf Diesel . . . until 1918. The author is eminently qualified to write on this subject."

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