Mobilising the combined expertise of nearly ninety historians, archaeologists and geographers from Britain, continental Europe and North America, the three volumes of The Cambridge Urban History of Britain trace the complex and diverse evolution of British towns from the earliest Anglo-Saxon settlements to the mid-twentieth century.

Volume 1: Preface; Plates; Maps and figures; Tables; Abbreviations; Acknowledgements; List of contributors; Part I. Introductory: 1. Introduction; 2. The origins of British towns; Part II. The Early Middle Ages c.650–c.1300: 3. General survey; 4. Power and authority; 5. Society and population; 6. The economy of British towns; 7. Churches, education and literacy in towns; 8. The topography of towns; 9. London from the post-Roman period to 1300; 10. The large towns to c.1300; 11. Small towns 650–1270; Part III. The Later Middle Ages c.1300–c.1540: 12. General survey; 13. Government, power and authority; 14. The economy of British towns; 15. Urban culture and the church; 16. The built environment; 17. London; 18. The greater towns; 19. Port towns: England and Wales; 20. Small towns 1270–1540; Part IV. Regional Surveys: 21. Regional introduction (England and Wales); 22 (a). The south-east of England; 22 (b). The south-west of England; 22 (c). The Midlands; 22 (d). East Anglia; 22 (e). Wales and the Marches; 22 (f). Northern towns; 23. Scotland; Part V. Conclusion: 24. Conclusion; Appendix: ranking lists of English medieval towns; Select bibliography; Index. Volume 2: Preface; Plates; Maps and figures; Tables; Abbreviations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Area Surveys 1540–1840: 1. Introduction; 2. England: 1. East Anglia; 2. South east; 3. South west; 4. Midlands; 5. The north; 3. Wales; 4. Scotland; Part II. Urban Themes and Types 1540–1700: 5. Towns in an agrarian economy; 6. Population and disease, estrangement and belonging; 7. Politics and government; 8. Reformation and culture; 9. The urban landscape; 10. London; 11. Great and good towns; 12. Ports; 13. Small market towns; Part III. Urban Themes and Types 1700 to 1840: 14. Urban growth and economic change; 15. Population and society; 16. Politics and government; 17. Culture and leisure; 18. The transformation of urban space; 19. London; 20. Regional and county centres; 21. The ports; 22. Small towns; 23. Health and leisure resorts; 24. Industrialising towns; Conclusion; Select bibliography; Index. Volume 3: General editor's preface; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; List of figures and illustrations; 1. Introduction; Part I. Circulation: 2. Urban networks; 3. Modern London; 4. Ports; 5. The development of small towns in Britain; 6. Migration; 7. Pollution in the city; 8. From Shillibeer to Buchanan: transport and the urban environment; Part II. Governance: 9. Central government and the towns; 10. The changing functions of urban government: councillors, officials and pressure groups; 11. The political economy of urban utilities; 12. The provision of social services; 13. Structure, culture and society in British towns; Part III. Construction: 14. Patterns on the ground: urban form, residential structure and the social construction of space; 15. Land, property and planning; 16. The evolution of Britain's urban built environment; 17. The planners and the public; Part IV. Getting and Spending: 18. Industrialisation and the city economy; 19. The urban labour market; 20. Urban fertility and mortality patterns; 21. The middle class; 22. Towns and consumerism; 23. Playing and praying: leisure and religion in urban Britain; Part V. Images: 24. The representation of the city in visual arts; 25. Epilogue; Select bibliography; Index.