"This remarkable book looks at hundreds of autobiographies penned between 1760 and 1900 to offer an intimate firsthand account of how the Industrial Revolution was experienced by the working class. The Industrial Revolution brought not simply misery and poverty. On the contrary, Griffin shows...

"In a little over a generation the bones and sinews of the British economy-- rail, energy, water, postal services, municipal housing--have been sold to remote, unaccountable private owners. In a series of brilliant portraits James Meek shows how Britain's common wealth became private, and the...

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