Lancashire on the Scrapheap: The Cotton Industry, 1945-1970 (Pasold Studies in Textile History, No. 8) [Hardcover]

John Singleton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199210616 | ISBN-13: 978-0199210619 | Publication Date: January 1991

This book is the first major study of the final phase in the history of the Lancashire cotton industry, from 1945 until the industry's absorption by the man-made fiber producers during the 1960s. Singleton's main conclusion is that the industry's collapse was inevitable in the absence of protectionist policies, and that the economy would have benefitted from the freeing of resources which an even faster decline of cotton could have effected.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is a highly organised, balanced and lucid economic history of the Lancashire industry in the post-war decades. It is a noteworthy addition to the historiography of the subject.' J.D. Marshall, History Society's Spring 1992 Newsletter

'It is the distinctive achievement of Dr Singleton to prove the inadequacy of this particular interpretation of the industry's historiography and boldly to venture into a field where he has had no predecessors, apart from Alan Fowler in The Barefoot Aristocrats. The returns from his research have been substantial, as the appropriate reward accruing to any pioneer. This survey will deservedly enjoy a wide readership. It illuminates a neglected period in textile history and will prove, by virtue of its data, its methods and its ideas, of great value in the future. This book will almost certainly not prevent the publication of other works on the subject: it may indeed be Dr Singleton's fate to have provided for future scholars to imitate.' D.A. Farnie, University of Manchester, Business History, July 1992

'The sad story of the decline of the Lancashire cotton industry after 1945 has never been told in detail; John Singleton's comprehensive and clear account is therefore to be welcomed ... his book is to be welcomed as the first clear account of the contours of decline in the cotton industry and will need to be consulted by anyone interested in this issue.' Mike Savage, University of Keele, Labour History Review, Vol. 57, No. 2, Autumn 1992

'This is an important book. It is easy to predict that this will remain the definitive and authoritative work on the decline and near death of the Lancashire cotton industry. It is clear, logical, and dispassionate, and extremely well documented.' Elizabeth Roberts, Lancaster University, The Economic History Review, Volume XLVI, No. 1, February 1993

'This is a lucid, well-researched and well-argued book, whose subtleties can only be hinted at in a brief review. Singleton has staked out the ground very effectively for a new phase in the historiography of the cotton industry, and he has put his readers in his debt. This will be essential reading on its important theme for many years to come.' John K. Walton, University of Lancaster, Northern History, Vol. 29

'Singleton's analysis of this sad story is clear and efficient. His use of economic theory is both illuminating and restrictive ... he provides an interesting analysis of alternative investment strategies ... Singleton's study provides a thorough and clear record on one of the major cases of industrial decline in late twentieth-century Britain.' B.W.E. Alford, University of Bristol, The English Historical Review, Volume 110, Issue 435, 1995

About the Author

John Singleton, Research Fellow, Centre for Defence Economics, University of York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (January 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199210616
• ISBN-13: 978-0199210619
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,545,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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