Wrightson reemphasizes the significance of the period as a turning point in British economic development, one that included the creation of an integrated market economy, the expansion of capitalist organization and enterprise, and reconfigurations of economic power. He shows how economic practices and priorities were embedded in social relations and how shifts in attitudes, values, and understandings played an essential part in the emergence of a market society. And he compares and contrasts the distinctive experiences of Scotland and Wales with those of England. Novel in its structure, scope, and emphasis on the lived experience of the period, the book vividly demonstrates the gains and costs of economic change.”