Includes bibliographical references (p. [171]-199) and index.

Introduction: The varieties of efficiency -- Static and dynamic effi ciency: the waterwheels of Smeaton and the Franklin Institute -- The ef fects of control: Gérard-Joseph Christian and perfected machines -- Ec onomy of nature: Darwin, Marshall, and the costs of efficiency -- Balan ce and transformation: technical and popular efficiency in the Progress ive Era United States -- An island of mechanical predictability: effici ent worker seating in late Weimar Germany -- Pride in efficiency: the d ispute over Time on the cross -- Global efficiency: an enduring industr ial value in a postindustrial world -- Conclusion: The future of effici ency -- Notes -- Bibliographic essay -- Index.

Electronic text and image data. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University of Michigan, Michigan Publishing, 2014. Includes both TIFF files and keyword searchable text. ([ACLS Humanities E-Book]) Mode of a ccess: Intranet.