It is a truism that History is about representation : but then opinions will diverge-as it should be-between what is meant by representation . Most of the chapters in this volume were first presented in November 2008 at an International Conference co-organised by the Society for the Study of Labour History and the University of Rouen. The authors-of all generations-come from Britain, France, Germany and the United States, and cover the field from the Middle Ages to the most recent developments. The friendly confrontation of points of view and cross-fertilisation which result from such undertakings can only add to our perception of the diversity of that elusive notion in History, representation -of working people in Britain and France in this particular instance. Beyond the differences in periods, places and situations, the reader will not fail however to see the bridges which recurrently link the various elements in the collection.