The First Industrial Region: North-West England, c. 1700-60

Contemporary Review, Sept, 2004

The First Industrial Region: North-West England, c. 1700-60. Jon Stobart. Manchester University Press. [pounds sterling]49.99. xi + 259. ISBN 0-7190-6462-7. In this innovative and carefully thought-out study the author seeks to add more balance to our understanding of the economic changes that are still labelled as the 'industrial revolution'.

He argues for 'the importance of geography as a cause as well as a consequence of historical change'. Our shifting analysis has suffered from 'over-historicisation and under-spatialisation'. Regional differences were in place by the beginning of the eighteenth century and by 1760 certain regions had undergone what must still be referred to as a 'revolution'. The northwest was one such region and the changes gave it a dominance that historically was centred in the south of England. Likewise, changes begat more changes which kept the predominance in place for over a century. An overall integration was kept by improvements in transport and a developing system of credit. The author confines himself to the north-west to see how a regionally based economy developed. He sets himself five objectives: (1) he traces the historical background to the region's 'industrial revolution'; (2) he looks at how this regional economy was related to 'broader theoretical, historical and geographical concepts and debates'; (3) he treats the north-west, which itself was diversified, not as unique but as 'a methodological and historical exemplar'; (4) he discusses the relationship between specialisation and integration in various fields, especially the role of cities; (5) he gives readers a 'rounded picture of development ... where industrial, trading, servicing and commercial leisure activities are treated as part of an holistic regional economy'. With this book Mr Stobart has done a great deal to advance our understanding of this decisive period in our history. (G.R.W.)