The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes (3rd Edition)

A landmark intellectual history of Britain’s working classes from the preindustrial era to the twentieth century.

Awards and Recognition

• Winner of the SHARP Book History Prize
• Winner of the American Philosophical Society’s Jacques Barzun Prize
• Winner of the British Council Prize
• Co-winner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize for 2001
• Named one of the finest books of 2001 by The Economist

About the Book

Drawing on workers’ memoirs, social surveys, library registers, and more, Jonathan Rose uncovers:

• Which books people read
• How they educated themselves
• What they knew

A new preface addresses the continuing relevance of the book amidst the upheavals of the present day.

Praise for the Book

• "An astonishing book." ― Ian Sansom, The Guardian
• "A passionate work of history. . . . Rose has written a work of staggering ambition." ― Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal