Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Originally published in 1918. Whatever one's views no one can deny the endurance or influence of a society in which the Webbs, Shaw, Annie Besant, Wallas, Wells, etc., almost all the 'personalities' of the period, were involved to a lesser or greater extent and which has played such an important part in the oscial thought of England. Yet, so little is known about the society's early history that even in 1916 Pease said that the only sources were 'shabby notebooks and the memories of a few men now rapidly approaching old age.' Since its first publication 'The History of the Fabian Society' by Edward Pease has been increasingly recognized as almost the only contemporary source for the genesis and early development of Fabianism. Twenty-five years as secretary and his presence at the institution of the Society enabled Pease, in a truly Fabian way, to give a valuable survey of the growth of the Society from its days of middle-class 'fellowship' down to the typical solid Fabian workmanship embodied in the Minority Report of the Poor-Law Commission. Margaret Cole's new introduction evaluates the present-day significance of a book which is indispensable for any student of Labour history.

Originally published in 1918. Whatever one's views no one can deny the endurance or influence of a society in which the Webbs, Shaw, Annie Besant, Wallas, Wells, etc., almost all the 'personalities' of the period, were involved to a lesser or greater extent and which has played such an important part in the oscial thought of England. Yet, so little is known about the society's early history that even in 1916 Pease said that the only sources were 'shabby notebooks and the memories of a few men now rapidly approaching old age.' Since its first publication 'The History of the Fabian Society' by Edward Pease has been increasingly recognized as almost the only contemporary source for the genesis and early development of Fabianism. Twenty-five years as secretary and his presence at the institution of the Society enabled Pease, in a truly Fabian way, to give a valuable survey of the growth of the Society from its days of middle-class 'fellowship' down to the typical solid Fabian workmanship embodied in the Minority Report of the Poor-Law Commission. Margaret Cole's new introduction evaluates the present-day significance of a book which is indispensable for any student of Labour history.

Edward Pease (1767-1858), who left behind extensive diaries for the years 1824-57, was dubbed the 'father of English railways' thanks to his backing of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which began operating in 1825. A prominent Quaker and woollen manufacturer in Darlington, Pease famously recruited George Stephenson (1781-1848) as the line's engineer. His great-grandson Sir Alfred Pease (1857-1939) edited these diaries for private circulation only, but was persuaded to publish them in 1907. The work includes an introductory essay on Quakerism and biographical sketches of Pease and his wife Rachel. The diaries themselves reveal, as the editor mentions in his preface, a life devoted to public and private good works. The appendices include a variety of Quaker texts and other material relating to the Pease family and the founding of the railways.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.