Book excerpt: This work was originally published as four separate books; their titles, and reviewers' comments, are given below: History of the Gear-Cutting Machine: A Historical Study in Geometry and Machines "The book represents an overwhelmingly well-done job of reducing a great mass of material—scholarly references, patents, catalogs, engineering and trade journals, and machines themselves—into a logical story of development. Written with zest and relish, this vivid account presents a wealth of unusual information. The illustrations are particularly good, for many of them come from previously untapped sources." —Technology and Culture History of the Grinding Machine: A Historical Study in Tools and Precision Production "From the polished artifacts of prehistoric times Mr. Woodbury traces the development of methods, abrasives, and the machine tools which interdependently contributed to the advanced grinding techniques used today. Many fine illustrations." —The Tool Engineer History of the Milling Machine: A Study in Technical Development "Mr. Woodbury traces the evolution of milling machines from Eli Whitney's machine (circa 1820), the first miller ever built, to numerical controlled milling machines.... presented cleanly with ample detail. Fine illustration and complete bibliography are provided." —The Tool Engineer History of the Lathe to 1850: A Study in the Growth of a Technical Element of an Industrial Economy "Woodbury, who teaches the history of technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is at work on a history of machine design which promises to alter our perspectives not only in his special field but in general cultural history.... His present history of the lathe (to about 1850) absorbs the entire previous literature and goes far beyond it." —Lynn White, Jr.