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John E. Archer, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)
THIS BOOK is published in the Economic History Society series entitled "New Studies in Economic and Social History," and like other works in that series it is intended as a concise and authoritative guide to current interpretations of key themes. The subject of popular protest is a major area for teaching and research, and Archer's book is an extremely welcome and engaging addition to the literature. The historiography has for some time needed bringing together and synthesising, and the book is all the more worthwhile for achieving that. It covers all the main subjects one would expect: with chapters on the historiography, sources and methods, agricultural protest, food riots, industrial protest, political protest, policing, a chapter assessing the "revolutionary" potential of the unrest, and a conclusion that considers how research could further develop these themes.
As one would expect from Archer's book, By a Flash or a Scare: Arson, Animal Maiming and Poaching in East Anglia, 1815-1870 (Oxford 1990), this work is very well-informed on rural protest, giving an excellent outline of...