| Review: |
The history of the air engine goes back nearly 200 years and was a rival to the steam engine relying on the heating of air for its operation. The Stirling engine today is noted for its efficiency and quiet operation. The book is very readable and comprehensively illustrated and provides a fascinating and detailed history of the evolution of the air engine right up to its current research, operation and future use. The book’s chapter titles are: Air engines; the Sterling engine; Later single cylinder engines; Philips engines; ‘Modern knowledge’…and all that; Reassessment; Post-revival; The ‘regenerator problem’; Two decades of optimism; Thermodynamic design; Completing the picture; By intuition, or by design; … and the heyday to come; In praise of Robert Sterling. |