This book is a survey of the history of work in general and of European urban artisans in particular, from the late middle ages to the era of industrialization. Unlike traditional histories of work and craftsmen, this book offers a multi-faceted understanding of artisan experience situated in the artisans' culture. It treats economic and institutional topics, but also devotes considerable attention to the changing ideologies of work, the role of government regulation in the world of work, the social history of craftspeople, the artisan in rebellion against the various authorities in his world, and the ceremonial and leisure life of artisans. Women, masters, journeymen, apprentices, and non-guild workers all receive substantial treatment. The book concludes with a chapter on the nineteenth century, examining the transformation of artisan culture, exploring how and why the early modern craftsman became the industrial wage-worker, mechanic or shopkeeper of the modern age.

This textbook deals with the history of European artisans from 1300 to 1914.
Reviews
'This welcome, impressive and authoritative textbook looks at urban artisans in part of Europe ... it is a comprehensive and wide-ranging study drawing on very wide reading of secondary literature ...' The English Historical Review
'... an excellent survey of the existing literature ... to tell the story of west European artisans over several centuries in a compelling, gripping style is a tremendous achievement. this book should be compulsory reading for all students of the labour or social history of early modern Europe.' Saothar
'... an effective summa of the history of work in Europe between the late middle ages and the age of industrialisation, and provides a detailed picture of the various professional categories which are portrayed with their social attitudes and conventions too ...'. The Journal of European Economic History



Book Information
ISBN 9780521429344
Author James R. Farr
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 470g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 18mm