A prominent philanthropist, landowner and politician near Halifax, John Lister (1847–1933) was dedicated to his community. He founded a Catholic school in Halifax and a reformatory trade school in the grounds of his ancestral home. A keen local historian, Lister became involved in the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, particularly in the later years of his life. Along with four other volumes, he edited for the Society this 1924 publication. Transcribing customs records from Hull and records made by royal officials in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Lister describes in his introduction how the wool trade developed and became a central part of the livelihood and character of Yorkshire. He discusses imports and exports, the lives of merchant families, and how the merchandise itself evolved as wool-working developed. Illuminating the social impact of a historically significant industry, this work remains relevant to researchers interested in the medieval economy.