The Industrial Revolution, 1760-1830 (OPUS)

Well written, easy to read, and a great, reliable source for any research paper on the English Industrial Revolution. My Mod. Euro Hist. professor said it was a very good source!

Never learned so much in one book

Obviously well-researched but sometimes very specific; this book may be better for one already acquainted with the subject looking for a fresh take, than for someone looking for an accessible introduction. Still, there is a lot to glean from it for a layman, even if that layman must do some work to do the gleaning. Recommended.

There is not much to say about this great little book. An excellent author, a dedicated scholar, a readable book that summarize an important episode in the social evolution of the world, the industrial revolution, started by no other than the British people. This book can be found in the "Brevarios" serie of the "Fondo de Cultura Economica", which has several interesting books, similar to the Oxford's "Short introductions", but in spanish. "Necessity is the Mother of invention" ... for some countries only.

If you are looking for a well written and concise history of the Industrial Revolution then this book is for you. It provides a decent overview but little detail or analysis.

First published in 1948, this book has gone through many editions, the latest, as we can see here, put out in 1998. I recently read the 1964 edition, picked up long ago at a booksale in Melbourne, Australia. Ashton's work is probably timeless. It is a down-to-earth, very well reasoned history of the various historical tendencies and phenomena that together are called "the industrial revolution". I cannot vouch for this volume being absolutely correct. The author does not have much time for those who dwell on the evils of industrialization, or who want to include class struggle in their analysis. Though I was not fully convinced of this, still I was willing to listen. Not being an expert in the field, I was looking for a decent explanation or summary of the whole process. I definitely got my money's worth in Ashton's book. It is well-written, without jargon and without presumption of vast historical knowledge on the part of the reader. It gives you an overview of such various fields as population growth, early forms of industry in England, the technical innovations, capital, banking, labor unions, conditions of workers, industrialists' clubs, and relation of agriculture to industry. Though I found the part about banks and interest rather rough going, it was entirely due to my own poor understanding of the field. My edition could have used a map. The shires, the rivers, and the many towns of England are not all imprinted firmly in the brains of North Americans. Other than that, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their understanding of the Industrial Revolution.

This is a fairly short book, but packed with information. It is one of those books that needs to be read slowly to digest it. Judging by the introduction and "afterword" this book set off years of economic research and controversy, as various schools of thought tried to support or refute the author's positions.Much of the recent research is highlighted in the afterword.Well worth reading.