This new collection gathers together the best work in social history published in essay form in the past decade. A substantial introduction surveys the rapid growth in this field of study.

Bringing together the finest essays of the past decade published in the rapidly growing field of social history, this new collection reflects the recent focus on the period between the mid-18th century and the First World War.

`Two pleasures await readers of this collection. First, a spirited introduction assessing the state of social history today ... Second, a dozen of the best recent essays in the field.' Roy Porter