In the 1870s and 1880s, Joseph Cook was a fiery young congregational minister in the industrial town of Lynn, Massachusetts. His extraordinarily successful series of "music hall" lectures on factory reform and industrialism earned him renown as an articulate spokesman for the troubled middle class in the industrializing Northeast. The lectures touch on such topics as child labor, social control, urbanization, the theater and the press—with Cook always vehemently opposing the evils of the factory system. The first full-length study contains these fascinating lectures, as well as responses to them by the manufacturers and the community. They are presented in the context of the changing times in which they originated.

This is the twenty-third edition of the "Harvard Economic Studies", focusing on the intricacies of the boot and shoe industry in Massachusetts before 1875. It chronicles the evolution and development of the industry from 1760-1875 and includes supplementary chapters on such subjects as Medieval shoemaking tools, modern shoe repair, contemporary manufacturing processes, and more. This volume is highly recommended for those with an interest in the history of the shoe industry, and it is not to be missed by collectors of allied literature. Contents include: "Home and Handicraft Stages", "Domestic Stage, Putting-Out System, 1760-1855. Phase 1, 1760-1810", "Domestic Stage. Phase 2, 1810-1837", "Domestic Stage. Phase 3, 1855-1875", "Factory Stage. Phase 1, 1855-1875", "The Human Element in the Boot and Shoe Industry", "Processes on Shoes in a Modern Factory", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality addition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on history of shoemaking.