Examines the transition in the economy and society of England between 1250 and 1550. This work demonstrates that important structural changes after 1350 built on the commercial growth of the 13th century. It also shows that development of individual property and use of credit and investment came from the peasantry rather than the aristocracy.

Christopher Dyer, who has already published on many aspects of this period, has produced the first full-length study by a single author of the 'transition'. He argues for a reassessment of the whole period, and shows that many features of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries can be found before 1500.

Introduction
1. A New Middle Ages
2. Community and Privacy
3. Authority and Freedom
4. Consumption and Investment
5. Subsistence and Markets
6. Work and Leisure
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index