Peter Mathias was Master of Downing College, Cambridge until his retirement in 1996.

• 1. Prologue: The Industrial Revolution – Identity and Beginning Part 1: The Industrial Economy is Born: 1700 to the Early Nineteenth Century 2. Gregory King's England 3. The State, Rural Society and the Land 4. Economic Policy, Trade and Transport 5. Industrial Growth and Finance 6. The Human Dimension 7. Economic Fluctuations Part 2: The Evolving Industrial Economy: To 1914 8. The Century Ahead – Changing Structure of the British Economy 9. Occupational Structure and Industrial Organization in the Mid-Nineteenth Century 10. Railways 11. The Free Trade System and Capital Exports 12. Agriculture, 1815–1914 13. The Evolution of Banking and the Money Market, 1825–1914 14. The Organization of Labour and Standards of Living 15. Industrial Maturity and Deceleration 16. Epilogue: The Inter-War Years

'Remains the finest textbook of British Economic history between 1700 and 1914.' - Stephen Pam, Teaching History'Durable, dependable, virtually unbeatable on home territory and possessed of a sufficiently tested method to be proof against embarrassment on unfamiliar territory.' - Eric J. Evans, Times Higher Education Supplement'Should be bought by every student of British economic history.' - J. Wigley, Economics