A History of Fireworks
from Their Origins to the Present Day
By John Withington (Reaktion Books)
Fireworks make for a good topic for a history because of their reach. The book is a lesson in small-g globalization, as they spread in a mixture of diffusion, colonization and political influence, and have diverse uses practical and social. It is also a lesson in capital-G Globalization in regards of the manufacture shrinking to fewer countries while growing in companies using that product, and their success running up against the regulatory state (or lack thereof), COVID-19, and environmental and other social concerns.
The book focuses somewhat on England, and thus on Bonfire Night, but neither unreasonably nor exclusively so. As is usual with history, the linear, conventional wisdom version is much more complex, not the least of which being that the original versions of firecrackers not using any gunpowder, but also the differing traditions of fireworks in parts of Europe that affected their development as a craft, and other lateral contributions to the art from Japan and Russia. The varying understanding of how fireworks intersects with class is also interesting, in the sense that it has been seen as the entertainment of the wealthy, the poor, and as a sort of leveling force. But all the different local festivals are the real show-stealers here including how many are extravagantly dangerous.
The history starts off chronological, but then breaks into a few conceptual chapters: notable displays, safety and accidents, appearances in culture, and practical uses. Of these, the cultural appearances is both the best and worst chapter. While at points it feels like a TVtropes article, the section on visual art is worth it in the strange history of people trying to capture ephemeral creations in paint and other media, and supported with a good selection of color panels.
There is a lot of focus on the companies that produce fireworks, or used to produce them but still put on shows, including families who have a rich tradition of involvement, with the requisite members who were killed or maimed by fireworks. As with the history in general, there is a focus on England and English companies, but not exclusively. This can get in the weeds of corporate organization, but it adds personality to the story.
The text is weaker on its references, and will rely on the sources claim sort of phrasing at times. Part of this is not the author but the sort of boasting and bombast associated with firework displays, and centuries of productions before film where loose description may be the only thing to go on. And even with the great art visuals that were included, this is something that I think could have used more diagrams and other descriptive art. Rephrased, the thing that I think would have made this a better book was more science and engineering. It is present, and gets more description in terms of modern trends, but at points I found myself wanting to understand some of the chemistry and physics better, or reading descriptions where I think that I understand the author’s classifications, but that having a sort of immediate drawing to look at would have been clarifying.
Outside of the occasional excessive flair, the writing is clear. The semi-linear structure makes it a harder casual read, but clearly makes the book more useful as a resource for research. And in general, it sets out what it intends to do.
My thanks to the author, John Withington, for writing the book and to the publisher, Reaktion Books, for making the ARC available to me.
CITATION HEEDED 