seance and dye

[Gillies, Lindsay]

>Something else to do with the seance and dye scene in GR:
>
>        when in the 1860s synthetic dyes were developed, they not
>only revolutionized industrial chemistry, but they

I've always wondered whether there was a good history of industrial 
chemistry and its commercial organization, say from the early 1800's onward. 
 My ideal would be a synthesis of a wide range of internal corporate 
histories, including the typical dynamics between the engineering/science 
types and the business/marketing types (and those interesting individuals 
who cover both modes, e.g., Walther Rattenau, Robert Oppenheimer).  One work 
that edges up to this is Rhodes' history of the A-bomb (haven't read the 
H-one yet), but it only hints at the vast industrial context of its 
development (as contrasted with the military context).  Some combination of 
Economic History;  the history of industrial structure within high 
engineering/science businesses, including its marketing and financial 
aspects; institutional history of commercial establishments (which almost by 
definition cannot be critical);  and a layer that addresses the political 
(typically foreign policy) aspects of deals and developments.  (Another work 
that I remember is Wm. Manchester's Arms of Krupp, in which the Russians and 
Japanese prosecute the 1905 war as a virtual head to head test of Krupp 
weaponry---for some reason I remember the Alfried sold to 103 seperate 
countries at one point.)

GR comes a close as anything I know to setting this issue in a human 
perspective---and TRP synthesizes all these things too, continuously---truly 
marvelous.  WHERE DID HE PICK UP ALL THIS STUFF??

My requested history is a mammoth order I realize, but why not start with 
the maximum program...