author
W. J. Atkinson (William John Atkinson) Butterfield
A practical writer on industrial chemistry and gas engineering, he turned highly technical subjects into clear, usable handbooks. His books capture a moment when fuel gas, acetylene, and modern industrial systems were reshaping everyday life.
1 Audiobook
Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use A Practical Handbook on the Production, Purification, and Subsequent Treatment of Acetylene for the Development of Light, Heat, and Power
by F. H. (Frank Henley) Leeds, W. J. Atkinson (William John Atkinson) Butterfield
About the author
William John Atkinson Butterfield was a British gas engineer and technical writer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An obituary summarized by Grace's Guide identifies him as a gas engineer, places his life around 1866 to 1945, and notes that he was educated privately before continuing his technical training at University College London and at Oxford, where he took an M.A.
He joined the Gas Light and Coke Company in 1891 and worked at the Beckton gas works, where he gained hands-on experience in gas manufacture. Later he set up as a consultant in Westminster, served as Secretary to the Metropolitan Gas Referees, and in 1917 became Adviser on Gas Testing and Gas Referee for Great Britain, a role he held until 1939. The same source also notes his work on ventilation for government departments.
As an author, he is best known for technical books including The Chemistry of Gas Manufacture and, with F. H. Leeds, Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use. His writing is closely tied to the practical needs of the gas industry, which gives his books both historical interest and real documentary value for readers curious about the science and engineering of the period.