Focuses on the River Severn between the Worcestershire ports of Bewdley and Stourport, and the medieval weir near Welshpool that marks the uppermost limit of boating, a stretch where the river remained 'in a state of nature'. This book traces the history of river trade from 1660, through its heyday during the Industrial Revolution.

The Ouse reaches into the heart of Yorkshire from the Humber Estuary. Until the 1980s, loaded barges made the challenging journey from Hull to Selby, bearing bulk cargoes for the mills of the town. The bargees had to be tough and resourceful; physically strong enough to handle their craft, wise enough to combat the rivers shifting currents and savvy enough to deal with those supplying short measure. Laurie Dews of Selby worked the Ouse from 1937 to 1987, and is now the only man remaining with first-hand experience of a lost way of life. In this book, "River Ouse Bargeman", Lauries words of wit and wisdom give a skippers eye view of a barge loaded to the gunwales fighting upstream, unloading at the mill and drifting back with the tide. Laurie spins many a yarn about a bargeman's social life, too. His firsthand account includes the mysterious river crafts of singling out and penning up, the tricks and tell tales to show where the ever-shifting river channel lay and the camaraderie of life in the close-knit watery world. In this book, alongside Lauries account, there is a factual commentary, illustrated by many images from Lauries collection dating back over a century, and extracts from official documents and maps.

Publishes in-depth articles on labor subjects, current labor statistics, information about current labor contracts, and book reviews.