This work investigates the foundational role of the wool trade in shaping the economic, social, and political structures of medieval England. Eileen Power, a distinguished historian of the medieval period, utilizes extensive archival records and trade data to argue that the wool industry served as the primary engine for English commercial development. She examines how the export of raw wool to continental Europe influenced domestic policy, taxation, and the rise of the merchant class. The text provides a rigorous analysis of the intersection between agricultural production and international commerce during the Middle Ages.

Historians and scholars frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the economic history of medieval England. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which reflects the rigorous archival research characteristic of the Ford Lectures series.