This volume describes the records of 1200 companies, partnerships and individuals active in the manufacture and finishing of textiles, clothing and leather when these industries were establishing and consolidating Britain's position as the world's most important industrial and commercial power. It is based on a survey that covered collections in record repositories, libraries and museums, and also archives retained by the original firms or their successors. Details of many of these have not previously been available to the historian. The guide provides information not only about practices and developments in management, accounting, production and marketing, but also about textile design, industrial archaeology and social conditions.