This book is the first available survey of English agriculture between 1500 and 1850. It combines new evidence with recent findings from the specialist literature, to argue that the agricultural revolution took place in the century after 1750. Taking a broad view of agrarian change, the author begins with a description of sixteenth-century farming and an analysis of its regional structure. He then argues that the agricultural revolution consisted of two related transformations. The first was a transformation in output and productivity brought about by a complex set of changes in farming practice. The second was a transformation of the agrarian economy and society, including a series of related developments in marketing, landholding, field systems, property rights, enclosure and social relations. Written specifically for students, this book will be invaluable to anyone studying English economic and social history, or the history of agriculture.

"Overton's book is a model synthesis of current scholarship, superseding all previous work....Overton lays out traditional arguments and their shortcommings, then presents a clear set of criteria for an agricultural revolution....Charts, tables and maps are usually clear and helpful, the guide to further reading is wonderfully annotated, and there is a very complete bibliography. This book is clearly the starting point for all study of the subject." J.J. Butt, Choice