author
Philip W. Bishop
d. 1991
A Smithsonian curator turned industrial historian, he wrote clear, compact studies that make the story of manufacturing feel lively and accessible. His best-known work traces how cheap steel changed modern life by following the people and inventions behind the Bessemer process.
1 Audiobook
The beginnings of cheap steel
by Philip W. Bishop
About the author
Philip W. Bishop was a museum curator and writer associated with the Smithsonian's Museum of History and Technology, later known as the National Museum of American History. Contemporary Smithsonian records identify him as head curator of the Department of Arts and Manufactures and later as a curator in the Division of Manufacturing.
He is best known for The Beginnings of Cheap Steel, a concise history of the breakthroughs that transformed steelmaking in the 19th century. Project Gutenberg's author note describes him as curator of arts and manufactures at the Smithsonian's United States National Museum, which fits the practical, well-grounded tone of his writing.
The details of his life outside that museum work were not easy to confirm from reliable public sources during this search, so this profile focuses on what is clear: he wrote readable history about technology and industry, and he did it from deep firsthand knowledge of museum collections and the history of manufacturing.