Julian Glover’s absorbing biography of the engineer Thomas Telford concludes that “there is no easy epitaph for a driven man”, and this account of his life and work avoids most of the cliches and longueurs that technical books are often prone to.
Telford was nicknamed “the Colossus of Roads” by the poet laureate Robert Southey, and he was responsible for building everything from churches to bridges, many of which still stand today. While it’s possible to quibble with the description of Telford as “Britain’s greatest engineer” – many would favour Brunel – Glover, a former Guardian journalist and political speechwriter, has done a fine job in his first book of establishing his subject’s credentials both as a man and as a maker. His clear, concise style gives the plain-speaking Telford – “jovial, worldly and judgmental” –a fitting literary treatment.
• Man of Iron by Julian Glover is published by Bloomsbury (£25). To order a copy for £21.25 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
