This is Frank Podmore’s 1907 biography of Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist, and social reformer Robert Owen (1771-1858). Owen founded utopian socialism and the cooperative movement, but is perhaps best known for his endeavours to improve factory working conditions. This detailed biography covers his life from youth until his last days, with a particular focus on his contributions to social reform. Contents include: Boyhood , The Industrial Revolution , Life in Manchester , The Factory System , New Lanark , A New View of Society , The New Lanark Schools , New Lanark (Continued) , The First Factory Act , For the Unemployed , 1817 - 1819 . etc. Frank Podmore (1856-1910) was an English author famous for his sceptical writings on the subject of spiritualism. He was an influential member of the Society for Psychical Research, as well as a founding member of British socialist organisation The Fabian Society. Other notable works by this author include: Mesmerism and Christian Science (1909), Telepathic Hallucinations: The New View of Ghosts (1909), and The Newer Spiritualism. (1910). Read & Co. History is republishing this classic biography now in a new facsimile edition complete with an introductory chapter by Leslie Stephen from Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 42 .