LAUSR

1237 service.” Modern wind generators produce a “commodity,” electric energy, destined for a “global” market, and, while more performant, they have lost their “territorial roots” (p. 206). This interdisciplinary approach allows novel insights into wind generators’ history and engages in fruitful dialogues on energy transition. It also contributes to the recent historiographical debate on the Industrial Revolution, which rejects the narrative of a linear path to modernity. The four chapters follow a similar pattern. They open with a description of the objects and techniques and a deep analysis of the inventors and firms who developed them. The history of Danish windmills in Chapter 2 is an interesting example of the interaction between innovation and territorial use. Far from the prototype of a modern wind generator, their decentralized technology resisted the adoption of more and more centralized energy networks, showing that twentieth century electrification was a complex and nonlinear dynamic. The second aspect common to every chapter is analyzing the socioeconomic context of each “technical stage.” Including all the historical details in the few pages devoted to each case’s historical context is not an easy task, and the various analyses can appear too synthetic. However, the author provides all the useful elements to integrate the development of technical innovation in the relevant socioeconomic dynamics. The book closes with a rich bibliography, guiding the reader to classic and novel debates in economic history and the history of energy. Overall, the book opens up new opportunities for the history of technology, contributing new understandings of wind power’s place in the energy transition.