Bücher von R. A. (University of St Andrews Houston

This concise volume reviews the literature on population history, and explains the different population trends evident in parts of Britain and Ireland. It examines the sometimes complex interactions between fertility, nuptiality, morality and migration, touching on a wide range of topics including plague, illegitimacy, and emigration to America.

A campaign promoted by church and state between 1560 and 1696 is said to have produced in Scotland the most literate population in the early modern world. This book sets out to test this belief by comparing the ability to read and write in Scotland with northern England in particular and with Europe and North America in general.