The World We Have Lost

Laslett reconstructs pre-industrial England from parish registers and household listings, and takes apart the assumption that people before industrialisation lived in large extended families.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. A founding work of historical demography — history rebuilt from records of ordinary households rather than from the state’s archive.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Economic History — the field this helped start.