author

J. Stephen (James Stephen) Jeans

1846–1913

A journalist and industrial writer who turned close knowledge of Britain’s iron, steel, rail, and transport worlds into books that still interest historians today. His career moved from newspaper reporting into major roles in the trade press and professional industry bodies.

1 Audiobook

Waterways and Water Transport in Different Countries With a description of the Panama, Suez, Manchester, Nicaraguan, and other canals.

Waterways and Water Transport in Different Countries With a description of the Panama, Suez, Manchester, Nicaraguan, and other canals.

by J. Stephen (James Stephen) Jeans

About the author

Born in Elgin, Morayshire, in 1846, James Stephen Jeans began in journalism on the staff of the Elgin Courant, which was owned by his uncle. After gaining experience in Edinburgh and Newcastle, he worked for the Glasgow Evening Star, eventually becoming its editor and manager while still a young man.

His move to Darlington brought him into close contact with leading figures in the iron and steel trades, shaping the practical, industry-focused perspective that runs through much of his writing. He later served as Secretary of the Iron and Steel Institute and of the British Iron Trade Association, and after gaining a controlling interest in the Iron and Coal Trades Review, he devoted himself to developing that publication.

Jeans wrote widely on industry, transport, labor, and economics. Works associated with him include Pioneers of the Cleveland Iron Trade, Railway Problems, Waterways and Water Transport in Different Countries, Trusts, Pools and Corners, and The Iron Trade of Great Britain. He died in London on July 31, 1913, at the age of sixty-seven.