This book examines the consequences of periods of dearth in England in the years between 1550 and 1800. For this period serious harvest failure has been connected with a marked increase in the political activity of the ordinary people, and attention has been focused on food riots. In this concise survey for students, R.B. Outhwaite surveys the enormous volume of literature that has been generated on the subject, explores interconnections, and draws attention to problems still outstanding, paying particular attention to changes in government policy toward grain provisioning.