In the second half of the 18th century, England was in the process of being dramatically transformed by the rising tide of the Industrial Revolution. But it took bold and imaginative men like Samuel Slater to bring this mightiest of all revolutions to the young United States.

Samuel Slater was fortunate in being born in the right place at the right time. Certainly the England of his childhood, where factories were radically altering the economic and social landscape, was an ideal place for a boy fascinated by machines of every kind. After a demanding seven-year apprenticeship in textile manufacturing, this fascination matured into mastery, and his future seemed assured. But the Industrial Revolution meant more to Samuel Slater than merely machines. Shocked at the misery caused by factory life in England, his thoughts turned to America as a place where industry might flourish without having to exact so heavy a human toll. And so, at twenty-two years of age, with no resources save his knowledge, his vision and faith in the future, Samuel Slater arrived in New England.

Again he found himself in the right place. America was in vital need of his skills. Welcoming him were men who would help him build his factories, understand his ideas of social responsibility and stand by him through difficult years of doubt and crisis. Samuel Slater was a success in his adopted land. He built a textile empire, amassed a fortune and won popular acclaim for his humanitarianism. This is the story of an industrial genius and man of conscience who pioneered in making the American dream a reality, and who left a legacy of innovation and progress in the textile industry.

From the dust jacket