A fascinating new history of the windmill, from its origins in hand quern-grinding of corn, the inception of the post mill in the twelfth century, the arrival of the smock and tower mills in the sixteenth century, the multi-bladed farm mill of the nineteenth century, to the huge power-generating turbines of the twentieth century. At each stage the builders were using the latest techniques that kept the windmill at the forefront of technology. The basic mechanics and ensuing changes are fully and clearly explained in this readable book, so that the reader can become involved in the vital milling process of getting flour for bread whilst also learning about how the advances were related to the social, political and scientific changes of the time.