Agricultural History Review, Volume 55 Part 1 (2007), p. 145

This impressive and beautifully produced volume entitled ‘The conditions of rural life’ comprises 38 papers originally presented to the Fifth Congress on Agricultural Systems, Social Organization, and Local Power held in the history department of the University of Lleida in spring 2005. Divided into three historical periods (medieval, modern, and contemporary), the majority of the articles deal with various aspects of rural life in Catalonia and the Països Catalanes (Valencia, the Balearic islands), with a smattering of articles on western Europe and the rest of Spain. The collection ends with six studies on the uses of archaeology in agricultural history. Among the topics covered are income distribution, living standards, food, accommodation, health, veterinary medicine, and education. The book also boasts a number of detailed and up-to-date bibliographies, statistical data, maps and photographs.

Enric Tello, in his useful introductory piece, sets the ball rolling with a wide-ranging methodological overview which pays tribute to the writings of Edward Thompson, Joan Thirsk, Robert Allen, and Amartya Sen, among others. Although there are a number of studies by established scholars (Albert Carreras, Javier Moreno, José Miguel Martínez Carrión), the majority of the contributions consist of local studies from a group of promising young scholars. Working my way diligently through the volume, I could not but be impressed by the vast amount of primary information which these enthusiastic researchers have uncovered. In a short notice, it is impossible to do justice to individual contributions. However, in their totality, this invaluable collection of articles bears further witness to the vitality of agrarian history south of the Pyrenees, not least in the Principality of Catalonia. The University of Lleida is also to be congratulated for its continued support for the discipline.