J.H. Plumb is a master historian who writes here a general introduction to the period he knows best , England in the 18th century. The book is divided into three parts, the first the Age of Walpole, the second The Age of Chatham, and the third the Age of Pitt. Plumb discusses the general social and economic background of the period, and provides real insight into its moving spirits, and their tone. He favorably cites DeFoe on the importance of Trade for England. And he gives a real sense of the dynamism of England in this time. He discusses the various economic players from the merchant princes to the simple landless agricultural workers. He provides an interesting picture of the way England looked and worked at the time, from the pot- holed broken roads to the rapidly expanding water- routes which facilitated trade. He writes of the great agricultural estates, the movement towards enclosure of the land, the hard fate of the peasants and lower classes in general. The energy of the Age in expansion of literacy and means of communication, the hunger for knowledge are also part of the picture. The technical innovations which were often sought out beforehand to solve a problem, and which in some way improved life are also written about. The craftsman and the artisans were ' the bridge of life'between rich and poor. Plumb also writes about the British relations to Ireland and India, about their foreign policy and the vast expansion of the Empire through War. He concludes with a look at the complicated and difficult situation Britain is in at the end of this remarkable period of its development.