Download or read book The Linen Trade, Ancient and Modern (Classic Reprint) written by ALEX J. WARDEN and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-12-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Linen Trade, Ancient and Modern IT is somewhat surprising that the history of so ancient and important a manufacture as that of Linen, and of the commerce connected with it, has not long before this time been placed in a comprehensive form before the world. It is one of the axioms of Political Economy, as it is held at the present day, that de mand creates supply, but, up to the present time, that has not in this instance been verified. The feeling that such a work was needed has often been expressed, both by the general public and by those immediately concerned in the Trade, but without, until now, having the effect of bringing forth one. Perhaps that is to be accounted for by our system of division of labour. Books are generally written by literary and scientific men but probably very few of either of those classes possess anything like that practical knowledge of the details of the subject, which it would be difficult to obtain without having been actually engaged in the business. That is the only way in which it appears pos sible to explain the fact that a generally acknowledged want has been suffered to remain unsatisfied, and that it has been left for me to attempt the performance of a task which should have been committed to abler hands. But whatever the deficiencies I may be sensible of with respect to mere literary qualifications, I have the advantage of an intimate practical acquaintance with the Linen Trade in all its branches - the result of having been for many years engaged in it and I may venture to hope that the following pages will be found to contain evidence that I have industriously endeavoured to collect information from all acces sible sources. Conscious that that is the case, I may ask that faults of style, of which I fear there are many, may be indul gently regarded, and that the Book may be received and judged of, not as a literary effort, but as an attempt to compile a full and reliable record of the rise, progress, and present condition of an important department of manufacture and commerce. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.