History of the British Gas Industry

Notes:

Scholarly study of the gas production and distribution industry - including coal and natural gas - from its beginnings but mostly from 1945. Structured in five parts: 1] 'The beginnings' - 'Prehistory of the industry' / 'First commercial projects'; 2] 'Development of the industry up to the First World War' - 'Manufacture and distribution' / 'Early structure of the industry' / 'Appliances' / 'Development of government control' / 'Management and workers' / 'The First World War'; 3] 'The interwar years' - 'Technical changes' / 'Changes in the structure of the industry'; 4] 'The Second World War and moves towards nationalisation' - 'The gas industry and the Second World War' / 'Plans for postwar reorganisation'; 5] 'Nationalisation and its aftermath - the modern industry' - 'Postwar nationalisation programme' / 'Introduction of new manufacturing processes' / 'Natural gas' / 'North Sea exploration and development' / 'Conversion' / 'Marketing North Sea gas' / ' A new structure for a new industry' / 'Relations with the government' / 'Industrial relations' / 'The industry and its customers' / 'Gas and the energy pattern'