Books

The Power to Change the World: James Watt (1736-1819), A life in 50 objects.
Malcolm Dick, Kate Croft (eds)
History West Midlands, 2019

The Life and Legend of James Watt: Collaboration, natural Philosophy, and the Improvement of the Steam Engine
David Philip Miller
University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019

James Watt (1736-1819): Culture, Innovation and Enlightenment.
Caroline Archer-Parre, Malcolm Dick
Liverpool University Press, 2019

The Industrial Revolution in the Eighteenth Century: An outline of the beginnings of the modern factory system in England
Paul Mantoux.
Jonathan Cape, 1928; repr. Routledge, 2015.
A classic text examining the industrial revolution in detail. Includes a chapter on the steam engine.

James Watt: Making the World Anew
Ben Russell.
Reaktion Books, 2014.
An excellent introduction to the life and work of James Watt.

Iron, Steam and Money: The Making of the Industrial Revolution
Roger Osborne.
Pimlico, 2014.
A good general overview of the early industrial revolution and it's primary aspects, including invention, power, transport and money.

The Enlightened Economy: Britain and the Industrial Revolution, 1700-1850
Joel Mokyr.
Penguin Books, 2011.
Looks at the intellectual context of the Industrial Revolution and Britain's part in it.

Heroes of Invention: Technology, Liberalism and British Identity, 1750-1914
Christine MacLeod.
Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Explores the industrial revolution by looking at the heroic reputation inventors enjoyed during the nineteenth century, which included James Watt.

Matthew Boulton: Selling What All the World Desires
Shena Mason (ed).
Yale University Press, 2009.
A lavishly illustrated publication with a chapter on Boulton and Watt's steam engine business at Soho.

James Watt: Chemist
David Philip Miller.
University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009.
Considers Watt's innovations in steam technology in relation to his interest in chemistry. 

Matthew Boulton: A Revolutionary Player
Malcolm Dick (ed).
Brewin Books, 2009.
Explores the life and work of Matthew Boulton, but includes chapters on Boulton's partnership with Watt and the application of steam power to the Soho business.

Industrial Enlightenment: Science, technology and culture in Birmingham and the West Midlands 1760 - 1820
Peter M. Jones.
Manchester University Press, 2008.
Looks at the role of scientific knowledge in the process of industrialisation and drawing on the archives of Matthew Boulton's Soho Manufactory.

James Watt
Dr Richard L. Hills
Landmark, 2002, 2005 and 2006.
Detailed and extensive three volume biography of Watt's life and work.
Vol 1: His Time in Scotland, 1736 - 1744
Vol 2: The Years of Toil, 1775 - 1785
Vol 3: Triumph through Adversity, 1785 - 1819

Watt's Perfect Engine: Steam and the Age of Invention
Ben Marsden.
Icon Books, 2002.
Good introduction to Watt's life, friendships and innovations.

The Lunar Men: The Friends who made the Future
Jenny Uglow.
Faber and Faber, 2002.
A wide-range and enjoyable account of the Lunar Society.

The Age of Manufactures, 1700 - 1820
Maxine Berg.
2nd ed, Routledge, 1994.
Overview of the technologies, process and labour markets that underpinned the Industrial Revolution. Places the developments in steam technology in their wider socio-economic context.

A Polite and Commercial People: England 1727 - 1783
Paul Langford.
Oxford University Press, 1992.
General history of mid-eighteenth century England. Useful for the wider context of Watt's life and work.

Science and Technology in the Industrial Revolution
A. E. Musson and Eric Robinson.
Routledge, 1969.
Uses material from the Boulton and Watt archives to consider aspects of the Industrial Revolution. 

James Watt and the History of the Steam Engine
H. W. Dickinson and R. Jenkins.
Clarendon, 1927; repr. Ashbourne: Moorland, 1981.
An extensive work, which contains a detailed account of steam technology.

Lives of Boulton and Watt
Samuel Smiles.
John Murray, 1865; repr. The History Press, 2007.
One of the first biographies of Boulton and Watt.

Journals

History West Midlands: The Power of Steam
Issue 10, Winter 2015.
This edition of History West Midlands examines the development of steam technology.