'Fisher's book will appeal to scholars interested in historical macroeconomics and the industrial revolution. It suggests promising directions for future research, and it contains vast amounts of useful information. In time, specialists may find it to be an indispensable reference.'- Gary Richardson, Journal of Economic History In this study of the European economy from 1700 to 1910, the macroeconomic data from five countries is examined both descriptively and analytically (using structural and time-series methods). The UK receives three chapters, in view of the extensive literature in that case, while France, Germany, Italy and Sweden are each covered in a separate chapter.

Preface - The Background to the British Industrial Revolution - The First Industrial Revolution in Britain, 1780-1860: National Income and Its Distribution - The United Kingdom in the Second Half of the 19th Century: Maturity and Relative Decline - Industrialization Without Revolution: The French Case - The Development of the German Macroeconomy - Sweden During the Industrial Revolution - Italy at the Time of the Industrial Revolution - The European Macroeconomy - Notes - Bibliography - Index