The quality of life experienced by people in the past is one of the most important areas of historical enquiry, and the standard of living of populations is one of the leading measures of the economic performance of nations. Yet how accurate is the information on which these judgments are based?...

Chapter 1: A short history of builder’s wages in Economic History -- Chapter 2: The market for building -- Chapter 3: Contractors -- Chapter 4: Contracts and ways of working in the building trades -- Chapter 5: What did bosses (in London construction) do? -- Chapter 6: Contracts and Pay at St....