Was the Industrial Revolution Necessary?

The Industrial Revolution is one of the most enduring and studied areas of economic history. However, recent studies have concentrated on reviewing existing literature rather than bringing a new perspective to bear on it. Was the Industrial Revolution Necessary? takes an innovative look at this much discussed subject. The authors ask new questions, explore new issues and use new data in order to stimulate interest and elicit new responses. They look at it from various, previously unexplored angles. These include: the way the classical economists viewed natural resources as a constraint on rapid and sustained growth; how the Industrial Revolution might have appeared when looking forwards from the Middle Ages rather than the usual retrospective view; what can be expected from growth rate calculations that have a substantially subjective basis; what contribution can be made to the living standard debated from an understanding of income distribution within the family; and finally, what has been gained from these new explorations? By examining the wider dimensions of the Industrial Revolution, the authors draw conclusions to answer the question of the title. Stanley L. Engerman University of Rochester, USA, R.V. Jackson Australian National University, Stephen Nicholas University of Melbourne, Deborah Oxley University of Melbour