A detailed history of the town of Lowestoft, its society, economy, and topography. `A superbly researched study.... An excellent addition not only to the history of Suffolk but of early modern society and economy more generally.' Professor RICHARD SMITH, University of Cambridge. Lowestoft has grown from a small urban community to become Suffolk's second largest town; and this book provides a vivid picture of the town and its inhabitants during the early modern period. Making full use of surviving documentation, in particular the parish registers, it begins with an overview of Lowestoft's medieval history, then proceeds to investigate topographical development, demographic features, occupational structure, social geography, house-building and interior décor, wealth and inheritance, maritime pursuits, agriculture, local government, education and literacy, religious affiliation, and urban identity. Wherever possible, the town is set into a national and European context, and its maritime nature fully brought out.

Politics play a central role in all organisations but to this point they have largely been seen as a negative force. Butcher and Clarke expose this as a misunderstanding and show how political behaviour is entirely endemic to managerial activity and how understanding and managing it can have extremely powerful positive effects. They provide an approach to managing politics by balancing personal and organisational interests and show how the centrality of politics to organisational life make it the ideal place from which to change existing patterns of power and influence. Essential reading for directors and senior managers.

Fishing Talk: The Language of a Lost Industry is the outcome of a lifetime's research by Lowestoft author David Butcher. Over the years he has recorded many hours of interviews with the fishermen of the east coast of the British Isles and has compiled their stories and accounts of their working lives into several books. For this title, he explains the words and phrases they use in their accounts, some to be found in the common parlance, some only found in use on the working boats of the fishing industry. The sea-going men - and women who handled the catches, kept the homes together and frequently looked after the business aspect of the fishing life - gladly contributed their recollections. The mid and deep sea fisheries of East Anglia have passed into history but this publication preserves their vocabulary.