Huw Beynon's Working for Ford achieved celebrity when published in 1973. An assessment 40 years later identifies the lasting value of the book. Though written from a clearly stated point of view, it did not present a biased account, and it included much information permitting alternative...

Young women and work -- Earning a living : daughters and the family economy -- Entering employment -- Mobility, migration, and aspiration -- Work culture -- "Frivolous" workers? : trade unionism and militancy -- Beyond the workplace : leisure and courtship

I use building workers' wages for 1209-2004 and the skill premium to consider the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution. Real wages were trendless before 1800, as would be predicted for the Malthusian era. Comparing wages with population, however, suggests that the break from the...

Intro -- CONTENTS -- To the Working-classes of Great Britain -- Preface to the First German Edition -- Preface to the American Edition -- Preface to the English Edition -- From the Preface to the Second German Edition -- Introduction -- The Industrial Proletariat -- The Great Towns --...