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The study of past society in terms of what it "consumes" rather than what it "produces" is a relatively new development. The focus on consumption changes the entire emphasis of historical enquiry, amounting to a new description of a past culture as perceived through its patterns of consumption in goods and services. Under the direction of Professor John Brewer, the Clark Library of Los Angeles has created an ambitious international programme to present the material culture of the European eighteenth century. A programme which calls upon the methods and techniques of many other disciplines - archaeology, sociology, anthropology and art criticism to name but a few. "Consumption and the World of Goods" is the first of three volumes to examine history from this perspective, and is a collaboration between 26 of the leading subject specialists from Europe and North America. The result is a transformed presentation of the European eighteenth century.