After completing an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering, John Gourley joined the Pacific Steam Navigation Company as an engineer and made several voyages to South America. He went on to gain further experience with other shipping lines before returning to dry land where he spent the next 35 years with an engineering inspection company, British Engine Insurance Co. Most of this time was spent as an engineer-surveyor carrying out inspections across hundreds of industrial sites in South Lancashire. The scope of plant ranged from power stations to heritage steam - including steeplejack Fred Dibnah's engines - but the bulk of his time was spent visiting the many factories and mills on his patch. The Other Side of Steam is intended to provide an entertaining insight into an area of engineering which plays an important role but is largely unseen by the general public. Technical jargon has been kept to the minimum for the benefit of those without an engineering background.