Learning from the first Operations Management textbook

De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola was published in 1556. It is arguably the first Operations Management textbook. In it the author describes the management and technologies of the mining and metallurgical industry of the period. Using the translation by Herbert and Lou Hoover, this paper reviews the book both to compare it with contemporary writing on Operations Management in process industries, and to draw lessons from its impact. Many areas which we see as contemporary, such as ethical and environmental issues, are explicitly addressed in the book although with a different view of their impact than today. The book describes how the operations should be organized and managed, the role of the foreman, and the education and training required. The characteristics of process industries as described by Agricola are compared to modern views. The most enduring lesson from this remarkable book is the importance of systematic capture and dissemination of knowledge in Operations Management.