by Lloyd Jones
First published 2021
Robert Owen transforms from a young Welsh textile manufacturer into Britain's leading social reformer in this comprehensive two-volume biography by Irish socialist Lloyd Jones. Originally published in 1890, the work traces Owen's journey from his boyhood through his revolutionary approach to factory management at New Lanark Mills. Jones documents Owen's battles to improve working conditions, his founding of the cooperative movement, and his development of utopian socialist principles. The biography reveals Owen's struggles against industrial opposition, his innovative policies that prioritized worker welfare, and his persistent efforts to create a more humane economic system. Through detailed chapters covering key periods like Owen's Scottish ventures and his fight for social reform, Jones presents the complete arc of a man who challenged the brutal factory conditions of his era. This facsimile edition includes Leslie Stephen's biographical introduction, offering readers insight into one of the 19th century's most influential social reformers.
Genres: biography, history, business, non-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: historical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: biographical, social-reform
Setting: Britain, New Lanark Mills, Scotland, Wales
Period: 19th Century
489 pages · Paperback · Read & Co. History