Description: 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 Quotes: "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