1. Introduction; 2. Sources, models, context; 3. Families; 4. Household economy; 5. Family relationships; 6. Wider kin; 7. Starting work; 8. Jobs; 9. Apprenticeship; 10. Schooling; 11. Conclusion; Bibliography.
A unique 2010 account of childhood during the industrial revolution through the autobiographies of working men of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Jane Humphries is Professor of Economic History and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University.
Reviews of the hardback: 'This is a deeply humane book which
breathes new life into the debate over the impact of
industrialisation on the standard of living. It uses a range of
qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the evidence
provided by more than 600 working-class autobiographies dating back
to the 1600s. It will surely become essential reading for all
scholars and students of modern economic and social history, as
well as for all those interested in the history of childhood, the
family and human well-being.' Bernard Harris, Professor of the
History of Social Policy, University of Southampton
'Jane Humphries has cast considerable new light on many important
questions about the economic, social, and demographic history of
that era. We are provided with much new information on the nature
and role of child labor, family relations, and education, among its
many issues. This is an unusually well-done work of scholarship,
based on the imaginative use of traditional sources to interpret
long-standing topics in a most convincing manner.' Stanley
Engerman, Professor of Economics and History, University of
Rochester
'Jane Humphries' ingenious use of a remarkable assemblage of
working class autobiographies brings new dimensions to this
long-discussed subject by illuminating the contributions of
children to the first Industrial Revolution. It is written with
great empathy for the social and economic costs that these younger
generations carried in facilitating this historical divide. It will
be essential reading for economic, social, demographic and family
historians and those whose interests focus on child labour in Third
World countries.' Richard M. Smith, Professor of Historical
Geography and Demography, University of Cambridge
'This is a work of economic history that is at once rigorous and
humane. Jane Humphries' use of workers' autobiographies opens the
black box of the household economy to reveal family relations and
the circumstances that led young boys into the workplace. Humphries
takes the reader from the highly particular to the reliably general
with a rare and enviable mastery of both economics and history.'
Jan de Vries, Professor of History and Economics, University of
California, Berkeley
'These life stories treat us to colourful detail about what it was
like to be a working child in industrialising Britain … [Humphries]
has conveyed more about the nature and importance of children's
employment than any previous study …' The Times Higher Education
Supplement
'The industrial revolution brought immense prosperity to the
British Empire … But as a new book by Jane Humphries, a professor
of economic history, shows, a terrible price was paid for this
success by the labourers who serviced the machines, pushed the coal
carts and turned the wheels that drove the Industrial Revolution.
Many of these labourers were children.' Daily Mail
'Britain's industrial revolution - the first in the world - would
have never happened without child labour. That's the startling
conclusion drawn by a leading economic historian following the most
detailed analysis of relevant contemporary sources ever carried
out.' BBC History Magazine
'There are too many strengths in this book to pack into a short
review. The scale and impact of the Napoleonic Wars on ordinary
families is fully appreciated. The situating of child labour within
an Industrial Revolution that slowly gathers force through the
eighteenth century is another one. … this monograph is a tremendous
achievement.' Pamela Sharpe, Local Population Studies
'… eloquently written account … meticulous and brilliant research
…' Journal of Economic Geography
'Children were increasingly at the heart of economic life in the
acute age of industrialisation, and the historical community and
the public alike owe Humphries a debt of gratitude for bringing
this point into sharper focus.' The English Historical Review
'Childhood and Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution is
richly innovative in its marrying of economic data with life
stories. The voices of the children - stoical, matter of fact, and
moving in their ordinariness - jump off the page. There is no other
historical study of British labour during the industrial revolution
that so vividly brings to life the world of the working-class
child.' History Workshop Journal
'… offers unique insights into working-class childhoods and sheds
light on the significant role of child workers during
industrialisation. This important book is essential reading for
historians of childhood and the family.' Mary Nejedly, Family &
Community History
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