This study is the culmination of a five months survey of Honolulu's industrial conditions and how they impact the lives of working-class women and girls. Published in 1912, Frances Blascoer offers detailed insight and criticisms of the reality of life and social structures on the island of Hawaii. Alongside the spotlight on working women, there is a glimpse of tropical life on the island. Optimistic and written with passion, this fascinating account is still relevant today.

John Atkinson Hobson (1858 – 1940) was an English social scientist and economist most famous for his work on imperialism—which notably had an influence on Vladimir Lenin—as well as his theory of underconsumption. His early work also questioned the classical theory of rent and predicted the Neoclassical "marginal productivity" theory of distribution. In his 1891 work “Problems of Poverty”, Hobson explores the subject of poverty and the industrial condition of the poor, looking at such factors as the introduction of machinery, women workers, moral considerations, law, and much more. This volume will appeal to those with an interest in the history of European industrial development, and it is not to be missed by fans and collectors of Hobson's seminal work. Contents include: “The Measure of Poverty”, “The Effects of Machinery on the Condition of the Working Class”, “The Influx of Population into Large Towns”, “'The Sweating System'”, “The Causes of Sweating”, “Remedies for Sweating”, “Over-supply of Low-skilled Labour”, “The Industrial Condition of Women-workers”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition together with an excerpt from “Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism” by V. I. Lenin.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.