Why did the industrial revolution take place in 18th century Britain and not elsewhere in Europe or Asia? Robert Allen argues that the British industrial revolution was a successful response to the global economy of the 17th and 18th centuries.

This book, first published in 1945, is based primarily on some fifty regional reports submitted to the Government between 1941 and 1943. The original reports, condensed and brought together in this volume, were for the most part prepared by members of university departments of economics or geography.