Status
Available
Local notes
677 Mac
Collection
Genres
Publication
HMH Books for Young Readers (1983), Edition: First Edition, 128 pages
Description
The mills at Wicksbridge are imaginary, but their planning, construction, and operation are quite typical of mills developed in New England throughout the nineteenth century.
Awards
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — 1985-1986)
CCBC Choices (1983)
Books From All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.!) (Rhode Island)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1983
Physical description
128 p.; 9 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
This is my first Macaulay book and I couldn't be more happy, a remarkable achievement of form and function. The progression of time, from 1800 to the present, encapsulates the character and spirit of the Industrial Revolution. The ghosts are around still, many an old mills stony ruins still lay
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open to explore along woody river banks. Mills were a high-technology of the day, Macaulay's hyper-real pictures and expert explanation both demystifies and creates a new romance and love through skillful storytelling and beautiful artwork. Mill was published almost 25 years ago before global warming was much of a concern, and the books examples unwittingly show exactly where and how things went wrong, as the mill transitioned from water power to coal power in the 1870s, it no longer seems abstract.. Of all Macaulay's books this is the one that will probably be closest to home, the most immediate to my personal experience, but I look forward to reading many more of his remarkable books, almost all wining multiple prestigious awards. Show Less
LibraryThing member JDHofmeyer
This is my favorite of David Macaulay's books. It describes the planning, construction, and operation of a New England cotton mill and its adaptation to the changing textile industry throughout the nineteenth century. The main text alternates with (fictional) excerpts from the letters and diaries
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of the mill workers and owners. Macaulay's illustrations combine precision with a sketchbook quality that's very appealing. My children would pick up his books before they could read, for the drawings alone. Show Less
LibraryThing member themulhern
Not one, but several mills, in order of construction. Illustrations are less fine and bolder than in previous works like "Cathedral".
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Macaulay describes the various kinds of mills and then goes on to discuss the evolution of textile mills and the industry in New England. The illustrations make it easy for the intended juvenile audience to follow along with what is going on and are marvelous. Macaulay used readers from historic
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mill villages to ensure the accuracy of his narrative. While the preface of the book makes it clear the mills described in the book itself are imaginary, they are based on mills found in New England during the given time periods. Show Less
LibraryThing member dhmontgomery
Macaulay, as usual, effortlessly combines text and his trademark pen-and-ink drawings to describe a monumental construction. Here his focus is not on the great works of yesteryear — castles, cathedrals and pyramids — but rather the Industrial Revolution. "Mill" tells a fictional story about the
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construction of a series of Rhode Island textile mills over the 19th Century. He showcases the quiet brilliance and competence of the initial mill, then goes on to describe the series of advancements that make the waterwheel and machinery ever more elaborate and efficient (until they are eclipsed by a neighboring steam-powered mill). Accompanying this are fictional diary entries from people connected to the mill — entries that can get surprisingly, archly, dark in tone. It's not as transcendent a work as Macaulay's "Castle" or "The Way Things Work," but is quietly brilliant and consistently informative. Show Less
LibraryThing member Paul_S
I wish my "adult" books could be this good.
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Pages
128