Brodie Waddell
1. It was only officially released today, so if you buy it now, you’ll probably be the first kid on your block to have one!
2. It has seven pictures inside, a very respectable ratio of 1 for every 34 pages.
3. It has the word ‘God’ in the title, making it slightly more likely to be accidently recommended by your local Christian reading group.
4. It has a picture of Satan on the cover, making it slightly more likely to be accidently black-listed by your local Christian reading group.
5. Barack Obama called it ‘…the best book I’ve ever read on later Stuart economic culture…’ and Nelson Mandela said it was ‘… longer than I expected …’ (NB: Not actual quotes. Please don’t sue me!)
6. It has footnotes, not those horrible endnotes.
7. It cites a hell of a lot of broadside ballads.
8. I can’t think of a number eight.
9. It uses paper that apparently derives from ‘natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests’. You’re practically saving polar bears just by reading it.
10. When you put the text through Wordle, you get this…
11. I can’t think of a number eleven either.
12. I’ve heard that ‘this book explores the economic implications of many of the era’s key concepts, including Christian stewardship, divine providence, patriarchal power, paternal duty, local community, and collective identity. Brodie Waddell draws on a wide range of contemporary sources – from ballads and pamphlets to pauper petitions and guild regulations – to show that such ideas pervaded every aspect of social and economic relations during this crucial period.’
Available at Boydell & Brewer (UK), University of Rochester Press (USA), Amazon (everywhere), Powell’s (less evil) and other fine book-sellers.
UPDATE (19/10/12): I’ve only just discovered that it’s also available as an over-priced ebook. If you’d like a sample from the text, I’ve uploaded the table of contents, introductory sections, bibliography and index.
UPDATE (12/11/12): There is now a preview on googlebooks too.
the many-headed monster 
This alone makes the book appealing:
6. It has footnotes, not those horrible endnotes.
Thank you, thank you so much. Now, tell me you have an undex that covers the content of notes and I will complete my effusive praise.
Partly. The index covers any content in footnotes that goes beyond simple citations. So the notes that turn into mini-essays (of which there are several) are indexed.
An undex, is that the sort of useless index that leaves out what you are looking for?
If so then a great many academic books have excellent undexes. No promises that mine is much better, though I’ve done my best.
Congrats! What a fantastic cover! And of course #6 is a ringing reason to buy any book!
Thanks, Matt. I am rather pleased with how the cover turned out. I guess beige is my colour.
Reason 13: it’s brilliant
Reason 14: it’s beautifully written
Dr Steve Hindle
W.M. Keck Foundation Director of Research
The Huntington Library
626-405-3411
shindle@huntington.org
Thanks, Steve. Once the first print run has sold out – no doubt in record time – that’ll be going on the dust jacket of the eagerly anticipated second edition.
Barack Obama totally loved your book man, no need to dissemble on that one.
I’ve heard Obama’s going to do a Chavez viz-a-viz Chomsky, and turn up against Mitt in the debate tonight with a copy of ‘God etc’ tucked under his arm…
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