This work investigates the historical rise, dominance, and eventual decline of the principle of freedom of contract within 19th-century English society. P. S. Atiyah, a distinguished legal scholar, utilizes a synthesis of legal records, economic theory, and social history to argue that freedom of contract was not merely a legal doctrine but a pervasive ethical and economic ideology. The book examines how this concept shaped the foundations of contractual obligations and influenced the broader trajectory of English legal development during a period of rapid industrialization.

Legal scholars and historians frequently cite this text as a foundational analysis of the socio-legal history of contract law. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive look at the interplay between law and 19th-century social structures.