First published in 1970, Britain and America 1850–1939 is a key text for anyone seeking to trace and interpret the development of the two great trans-Atlantic economies. The authors present a comparative survey of the economic development of Britain and America. The book compares and contrasts the economic and social progress of the two countries in the period of rapid industrialization and dramatic social change between 1850 and 1939. Throughout, the authors explain the interaction of the two economies upon each other and give reasons – social and political as well as economic – for the outstanding differences in the economic life of the two countries. Separate chapters give a comprehensive account of agriculture, transport, trade unions, banking, overseas trade, industry, and social problems. Among the individual topics considered are the economic significance of the Civil War, the influence of the railways, migration of labour and export of capital, the retardation of the British economy, the great slump of the 1930s and the New Deal. The authors support their arguments with numerous statistical tables, charts, and diagrams. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of economics and history.

From 1820 to 1860, the United States and Great Britain were the two most closely interconnected countries in the world in terms of culture and economic growth. In an important addition to immigration history, William Van Vugt explores who came to America from Great Britain during this period and why. Disruptions and economic hardships, such as the repeal of Britain's protective Corn Laws, the potato famine, and technological displacement, do not account for the great mid-century surge of British migration to America. Rather than desperation and impoverishment, Van Vugt finds that immigrants were motivated by energy, tenacity, and ambition to improve their lives by taking advantage of opportunities in America. Drawing on county histories, passenger lists of immigrant ships, census data, and manuscript collections in Great Britain and the United States, Van Vugt sketches the lives and fortunes of dozens of immigrant farmers, miners, artisans, skilled and unskilled laborers, professionals, and religious nonconformists.

Among the many important political and social reforms of the mid 19th century concerning working conditions, public health and education was the Public Libraries Act of 1850. However, while this allowed municipal boroughs in England and Wales to establish public libraries, few were built until Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 precipitated the setting up of several dozen. During the 1880s and 90s private philanthropy saw the construction of a vast number of small and medium sized libraries, and by 1914, 62 per cent of the England's population lived within a library authority area. This selection guide looks at the external architecture of the libraries built under these and later initiatives, and how they were fitted out and used as access to their book-stock was opened up to readers.