Henry Warren Dickinson

Although Dickinson's direct relevance to the history of the steam locomotive may seem to be somewhat tenuous, he was a major contributorto the biography of engineers (Watt, Boulton, Roberts and Trevithick) and the history of engineering. His literary style was of the very highest order comparable with the greatest writers. He was the original editor of the Transactions of the Newcomen Society and presenter of several papers to that Society. He wrote several books including A short history of the steam engine (1938). As this includes an assessment of Trevithick it is clear that Dickinson must be included in any assessment of authorship of locomotive literature. He is the subject of an Oxford Dictionary of National Biography  entry by Arthur Stowers and only the bare essentials have been extracted from that: born Ulverston 28 August 1870, educated Manchester Grammar School and Manchester University. Apprenticed to William Beardmore & Co in Glasgow, worked briefly as a draughtsman at the Glasgow Iron & Steel Co. in Wishaw and in 1895 joined the Science Museum. Major contributor to the history of engineering and the biography of engineers. Died Purley 21 February 1952. Needless to say such a bibliographical ikon is invisible in Norwich which still seeks City of Culture status. The Newcomen Society is highly aware of the pivotal contribution of Dickinson and established an annual Memorial Lecture in his honour: many of the contributors (e.g. Neil Cossons 2001) re-emphasise the significance of Dickinson and the standards of scholarship which he sought..

James Watt and the Industrial Revolution. British Council.
with H.P. Vowles: reviewed Locomotive Mag., 1944, 50, 112.
James Watt and the steam engine. Cambridge University Press, 1927.
James Watt: craftsman & engineer. Cambridge University Press, 1936. 207pp.
reviewed Locomotive Mag., 1936, 42, 62
Richard Trevithick: the engineer and the man. Cambridge University Press, 1934.
Ottley 2862. Reviewed in Locomotive Mag., 1934, 40, 64.
A short history of the steam engine. Cambridge University Press, 1938.
with Titley, A.