Today, nails are
such an ordinary and widespread object that it may come as a surprise
to learn that the range of shapes and sizes available now is but a
fraction of those made in the nineteenth century. This illustrated
account charts the history of nailmaking, from the Romans, through
the middle ages, to the industry of the nineteenth century and the
factories of the twentieth, relating the fluctuating demand for nails
and nailers to the social and political context of the time, and explaining
the types of nail made and the development of nailmaking methods over
the years.