<div><div>This fascinating book looks at how local history developed from the antiquarian county studies of the sixteenth century, through the growth of  "professional" history in the nineteenth century, to the recent past. Concentrating on the past sixty years, it looks at the opening of archive offices, the invigorating influence of family history, the impact of adult education and other forms of lifelong learning. This is an authoritative account of how local history has come to be one of the most popular and productive intellectual pastimes in our modern society.</div></div>