Donald Hill

Donald Routledge Hill (6 August 1922 – 30 May 1994)[1] was a British engineer and historian of science and technology best known for his translation of The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices of the Muslim engineer Ismail al-Jazari.

[1][2] Born in London, after secondary school Hill served in the British army, in the Royal Engineers from 1941 to 1946.

Two years he served in the Eighth Army in North Africa until he was wounded in action in Italy.

[1] Late 1940s Hill started his career working for the Iraq Petroleum Company in Lebanon, Syria and Qatar.

[1] Alongside more general works on the history of technology, Hill wrote works on the history of science and technology in the medieval Islamic world and translated The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices of Ismail al-Jazari.