Frederick Overman (1810–1852) was a German-born engineer who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States and worked in the booming field of iron manufacturing. He wrote that his book, first published in Philadelphia and then in London in 1850, was designed to be of 'practical utility' to engineers working in the industry. It includes 150 woodcuts to illustrate fully the many different aspects of making iron. Overman covers every part of the process, from the mining of iron ore to the variety of forges that were used, and also includes a chapter about the related steel industry. Today this historic engineering text sheds light on nineteenth-century industrial processes on both sides of the Atlantic during the height of Victorian innovation, making it essential reading for scholars, students, and enthusiasts of this period.