Age of Invention, by Anton Howes

Age of Invention: The Century-Long Depression

There’s an old proverb about England, current in the sixteenth century, that it was a hell for horses, a paradise for women, and a purgatory or prison…

Aug 26 • 

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July 2025

Age of Invention: All Fired Up

The mystifying, centuries-long failure of the coal briquette

Jul 2 • 

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April 2025

Age of Invention: Just Kiln Time

The Quest for Pale Ale, Part I

Apr 22 • 

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February 2025

Age of Invention: How Coal Really Won

The Coal Conquest, Part II

Feb 12 • 

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October 2024

Age of Invention: The Coal Conquest

There was no shortage of trees

Oct 4, 2024 • 

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June 2024

Age of Invention: The Dutch Salten Age

Part III of the Salt Series

Jun 27, 2024 • 

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May 2024

Age of Invention: The Second Soul, Part II

The Lands that Salt Forgot

May 1, 2024 • 

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March 2024

Age of Invention: The Second Soul, Part I

Here’s a riddle. There was a product in the seventeenth century that was universally considered a necessity as important as grain and fuel. Controlling…

Mar 8, 2024 • 

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January 2024

Age of Invention: Unsung Materials

One of my big goals for this year, as part of finally finishing my book on the causes of the Industrial Revolution, has been to get a handle on a bunch…

Jan 19, 2024 • 

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December 2023

Age of Invention: More the Merrier

Today I’m making good on a promise.

Dec 22, 2023 • 

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Age of Invention: The Interactive History of the Steam Engine

I’m excited to announce something I’ve been quietly working on for a few months now behind the scenes: the first instalment of the interactive…

Dec 7, 2023 • 

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November 2023

Age of Invention: How to be a Public Historian

Writing for a public audience is a double-edged sword.

Nov 28, 2023 • 

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