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  • The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past

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The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past

by Chelsea Follett (Author) Format: Hardcover
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The world our preindustrial ancestors inhabited was more gruesome than modern minds can fathom.

Trying to imagine the preindustrial past might conjure an image of an idyllic country village with pristine air and residents merrily dancing around maypoles. The healthy, peaceful, prosperous people in this fantasy of pastoral bliss do not realize their contented, leisurely lives will soon be disrupted by the story’s villain: the dark smokestacks of the Industrial Revolution, what the poet William Blake called “satanic mills.” Except that such rose-colored views of history bear no resemblance to reality.

The preindustrial world was in fact more gruesome than modern minds can fathom, marked by unthinkable poverty, drudgery, grime, cruelty, and pain. From routine child abuse and animal torture to famine-induced cannibalism, and from bloodletting and deadly dentistry to polluted air and streets that doubled as open sewers, practically every aspect of ordinary existence was fraught with horrors. The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past indulges the reader’s morbid curiosity about the history of everyday life with first-hand accounts, shocking facts, and meticulously researched, grotesque detail.

This book aims to provide insight into the lives of prototypical members of the peasantry who comprised the vast majority of the preindustrial population, and who led lives that most people today would not wish upon their worst enemies. It is hard to remember just how different the past was, often nightmarishly so, but this book offers a comprehensive synthesis of historical research to strip away romantic illusions and confront the harsh reality of preindustrial life.
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  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cato Institute
  4. Publication date
    October 20, 2026
  5. ISBN-10
    1969284129
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1969284120
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About the Author

Chelsea Follett is the managing editor of HumanProgress.org, a project of the Cato Institute that seeks to educate the public on the global improvements in well-being by providing free empirical data on long-term developments. She is the author of Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World.

Her writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Forbes, The Hill, Business Insider, National Review, the Washington Examiner, and Global Policy Journal. She was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for 2018 in the category of Law and Policy.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cato Institute
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 20, 2026
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1969284129
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1969284120
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.75 pounds

About the author

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Chelsea Follett

Chelsea Follett

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Chelsea Follett is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and the managing editor of HumanProgress.org, a project of the Cato Institute that seeks to educate the public on the global improvements in well-being by providing free empirical data on long-term developments. Her writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, Forbes, The Hill, Business Insider, National Review, Washington Examiner, Reason, the Richmond Times Dispatch, and the Virginian-Pilot, among other outlets. She was named to Forbes’s 30 under 30 list for 2018 in the category of law & policy. Follett earned a BA magna cum laude in government and English from the College of William & Mary, as well as an MA in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, where she focused on international relations and political theory. She lives in Virginia with her husband and children.

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