This book investigates the evolving social origins and career trajectories of leaders within Britain's steel and hosiery industries over a century of industrial transformation. Erickson meticulously reconstructs the backgrounds of approximately 1000 managing partners and executive directors, drawing from diverse sources to analyze changes in their social origins and career paths. The study compares leadership recruitment in these two distinct industries, seeking to understand how factors like industry size and capital requirements influenced management selection. Ultimately, the book aims to establish an empirical foundation for understanding British industrial leadership during a period of significant global manufacturing shifts.

Originally published in 1959, Charlotte Erickson's "British Industrialists: Steel and Hosiery 1850-1950" offers a foundational empirical study on industrial leadership. The book's detailed reconstruction of biographical data and comparative analysis between industries provides a valuable resource for understanding the social and professional evolution of British industrialists. Its attempt to correlate industry characteristics with management recruitment offers insights into the structural influences on leadership selection during a critical period of economic change. The work serves as a significant contribution to the historical study of business and social mobility in Britain.