Synopses & Reviews
This book is the first available survey of English agriculture between 1500 and 1850. Written specifically for students, it combines new material with an analysis of the existing literature. It describes farming in the sixteenth century, analyzes the reasons for improvements in agricultural output and productivity, and examines changes in the agrarian economy and society. Professor Overton argues that the impact of these related changes in productivity and social and economic structure in the century after 1750 amount to an agricultural revolution.
Review
"Overton's book is a model synthesis of current scholarship, superseding all previous work....Overton lays out traditional arguments and their shortcommings, then presents a clear set of criteria for an agricultural revolution....Charts, tables and maps are usually clear and helpful, the guide to further reading is wonderfully annotated, and there is a very complete bibliography. This book is clearly the starting point for all study of the subject." J.J. Butt, Choice"...this book is a detailed but admirably clear overview of a crucial and complex transition....it is a valuable addition to the literature of the agricultural revolution." Lynn MacKay, Agricultural History"Though designed as a general survey for students, it is a work of enormous scholarship that presents the latest thinking about the agricultural revolution in an accesible form, well illustrated with tables and figures. Gregory Clark, Jrnl of Economic History"This study supersedes all previous work and is a model synthesis of current scholarship. The guide to further reading is excellently annotated, chapter by chapter, and there is a very complete bibliography. This book is clearly the starting point for all study of this subject and is a written at a level that undergraduates can understand. This is a superb work that is useful to the student as well as the scholar." John J. Butt, The Historian"This study supersedes all previous work and is a model synthesis of current scholarship. This book is clearly the starting point for all study of this subject and is written at a level that undergraduates can understand. This is a superb work that is useful to the student as well as the scholar." John J. Butt, The Historian"...it is work of enormous scholarship that presents the latest thinking about the agricultural revolution in England in an accessible form, well illustrated with tables and figures." Gregory Clark, Jrnl of Eco Hist
Synopsis
Written specifically for students, this text is the first available survey of English agriculture between l500 and l850. It describes farming in the sixteenth century, analyzes the reasons for improvements and examines changes in the agrarian economy and society.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-249) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface; A note on weights, measures, money and boundaries; 1. The agricultural revolution; 2. Farming in the sixteenth century; 3. Agricultural output and productivity, 1500-1850; 4. Institutional changes, 1500-1850; 5. The agricultural revolution reconsidered; Guide to further reading; Bibliography.