Marshall's in depth investigation into the industrial techniques and business organization of British and international economies, and their relation to public well-being, and of their influence on the conditions of various classes and nations with special reference to the technical evolution of industry and its influences on the conditions of man's life and work. The work covers foundations of England's industrial leadership, her drift towards massive production, the industrial leadership of France, of Germany (science in the service of industry) and of the United States (multiform standardization) and much more."It represents the fruits of Marshall's learning and ripe wisdom on a host of different matters. The book is a mine rather than a railway - like the Principles, a thing to quarry in and search for buried treasure. It contains the suggestions, the starting points for many investigations. There is no better book for suggesting lines of original enquiry to a reader so disposed."- John Maynard Keynes in Memorials of Alfred Marshall