Peter Scholliers Libros

Wages have always been a major expense for businesses. This fascinating book studies the impact of spiralling wage demands in a cotton factory in Ghent during the 19th century and the efforts of management to reduce this cost through investment in new technology and stricter employment policies. The workers' responses to wage cutting are also considered. The importance of this study lies in its unique collection of wage data -- more than 200 pay books and 100 ledgers from the Voortman cotton factory -- which show, in great detail, the hourly, daily and yearly wages for all categories of workers between 1835-1913. Various aspects of wages are addressed changing living and working conditions; wages of women and children in relation to the 'family wage economy'; wage comparison between workers at Voortman and workers in other industries and regions; productivity, purchasing power and industrial relations.

Exploring the role of food at world exhibitions, this volume highlights its significance as a semiotic device that conveys identity, history, and societal values. While architecture has been extensively analyzed, the culinary aspect remains underexplored. The book integrates contemporary food studies with the historical context of international exhibitions, offering a unique perspective on how food shapes national and corporate identities, as well as concepts of inclusion and exclusion at these cultural events.

The book explores the historical significance of bread as a staple food in Europe, highlighting its role as a primary source of sustenance for centuries. It examines the dramatic shift in consumption patterns from the 19th century, when bread accounted for a significant portion of household expenses and caloric intake, to the present day, where it represents a mere fraction of both. This transformation prompts a deeper investigation into societal changes, dietary habits, and the implications for food culture.

For a long time, everything revolved around bread. Providing more than half of people's daily calories, bread was the life-source of Europe for centuries. In the middle of 19th century, a third of household expenditure was spent on bread. Why, then, does it only account for 0.8% of expenditure and just 12% of daily calories today? In this book, Peter Scholliers delves into the history of bread to map out its defining moments and people. From the price revolution of the 1890s that led to affordable and pure white bread, to the taste revolution of the 1990s that ushered in healthy brown bread, he studies consumers, bakers and governments to explain how and why this food that once powered an entire continent has fallen by the wayside, and what this means for the modern age. From prices and consumption to legislation and technology, Scholliers shows how the history of bread has been shaped by subtle cultural shifts as well as top-down decisions from ruling bodies. From the small home baker to booming factories, he follows changes in agriculture, transport, production and policy since the 19th century to explain why bread, once the centre of everything, is not so today.