Douglas W. Allen (1) (1960–)

As I state in my profile section describing my ranking system for books, I give very few 5 star ratings. Specifically, a 5 star book has to change the way I understand something in a fundamental way. Well, this book does that for how I understand relationships of power before modern times. Even if you don't agree with Allen's thesis in total, even the gist of his theories, which are easy enough to understand provided the reader has a good understanding of history, is enough for anyone to see power relationships in a new light. Sometimes it takes someone with a different set of view and skills, in this case of an economist, to point out important factors that no one else has noticed before. If you read this book, you should have a decent understanding of the history of England both before, during and after the Industrial Revolution to get the most benefit out of it. Mr. Allen has produced a superb monograph. Highly recommended.… (plus d'informations)