author

David R. Cooper

A practical early-20th-century engineer, he wrote about how small streams and farm sites could be turned into useful power. His best-known work makes old hydroelectric know-how feel surprisingly direct and hands-on.

1 Audiobook

Water Power for the Farm and Country Home

Water Power for the Farm and Country Home

by David R. Cooper

About the author

David R. Cooper is known for Water Power for the Farm and Country Home, a 1911 guide to developing small-scale water power for farms and rural homes. The book was printed for the New York State Water Supply Commission and focuses on practical ways to use local streams and brooks for work such as lighting, pumping, and other farm needs.

The book itself identifies him as the Engineer-Secretary of the New York State Water Supply Commission in Albany. That role fits the tone of his writing: clear, technical, and aimed at helping ordinary readers understand how water power could become an efficient source of energy in everyday rural life.

Reliable biographical detail beyond his authorship and public role is limited in the sources I could confirm. Even so, his surviving work offers a vivid look at an era when engineers were trying to make renewable power useful on a small, local scale.