<DIV><I>Customs in Common</I> is the remarkable companion to E.P. Thompson's landmark volume of social history, <I>The Making of the English Working Class</I>. The product of years of research and debate, <I>Customs in Common</I> describes the complex culture from which working-class institutions emerged in England—a panoply of traditions and customs that the new working class fought to preserve well into Victorian times.<BR><BR>In a text marked by both empathy and erudition, Thompson investigates the gradual disappearance of a range of cultural customs against the backdrop of the great upheavals of the eighteenth century. Essential reading for all those intrigued by English history, <I>Customs in Common</I> has a special relevance today, as traditional economies are being replaced by market economies throughout the developing world.<BR></DIV>