Today, nails are such an ordinary and widespread object that it may come as a surprise to learn that the range of shapes and sizes available now is but a fraction of those made in the nineteenth century. This illustrated account charts the history of nailmaking, from the Romans, through the middle ages, to the industry of the nineteenth century and the factories of the twentieth, relating the fluctuating demand for nails and nailers to the social and political context of the time, and explaining the types of nail made and the development of nailmaking methods over the years.