Road transport in the English Industrial Revolution: An interim reassessment

Recent studies by Albert, Pawson and others have led to a new appreciation of road transport in the Industrial Revolution; traditionally, it is canal development rather than road transport expansion that has been seen as the key sector in contemporary transport improvement. Fresh examination of the traditional emphasis on canals underlines the new findings on the road sector. The role of canals in raw material movement may be undeniable, but the marketing side of the industrializing economy has largely been forgotten. Detailed comparison of the different properties of canal and road transport reveals yet further weaknesses. Among them is the peculiar susceptibility of canals to frost and drought. Using a prediction technique based on Manley's monthly temperature means for Central England, it emerges that in one out of every two years, frost may have impeded canal-working for upwards of 20 days. A number of possible directions for further research are outlined. Of particular importance is the need for studies of transport demand.     

Book reviews

THE ADAPTABLE COMMONWEALTH. F. H. Soward, 1950 (London, O.U.P., pp. 62). 2/‐.

EUROPE IN DECAY: A STUDY IN DISINTEGRATION 1936–1940. By L. B. Namier. 1950. (London. MacMillan, viii+330. 16s.).

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY IN MODERN GERMANY. R. H. Samuel and R. H. Thomas. Routledge and Kegan Paul (Int. Lib. of Soc. & Soc. Recon.). London 1949.

THE IDEA OF CONFLICT. By Kurt Singer. (Melbourne University Press. pp. 181).