author

John Richards

b. 1834

Best known for practical books on machinery and workshop management, this 19th-century mechanical engineer wrote for working engineers as much as for students. His books explain complex industrial topics in a direct, useful way that still feels surprisingly modern.

1 Audiobook

The Economy of Workshop Manipulation A logical method of learning constructive mechanics. Arranged with questions for the use of apprentice engineers and students.

The Economy of Workshop Manipulation A logical method of learning constructive mechanics. Arranged with questions for the use of apprentice engineers and students.

by John Richards

About the author

John Richards, born in 1834, was a mechanical engineer and technical writer whose books covered machine construction, wood-working machinery, pumps, wages, and factory organization. Catalog and library records consistently connect him with practical engineering titles such as A Treatise on the Construction and Operation of Wood-Working Machines, A Manual of Machine Construction, and Centrifugal Pumps.

Available archival material also links him to the Industrial Publishing Company in San Francisco, and a Stanford archival guide identifies a John Richards who lectured in mechanical engineering at Leland Stanford Junior University in 1895–96. Taken together, the record suggests a writer deeply involved in the industrial and educational world of the late 19th century.

What stands out most in his work is its hands-on spirit. Rather than writing in abstract terms, he focused on how machines were built, arranged, operated, and managed, which makes his books especially appealing to readers interested in the working life of engineering during the industrial age.