David Dale: A Life

"In many ways, this new biography of Dale accords him 'respect and admiration', although it is far from an uncritical account. Struck by how little was actually known about the man who founded arguably the most famous cotton-spinning community in the world, the author had come to know about Dale only through an interest in Robert Owen's New Lanark and, in particular, Owen's visionary attempts to forge a 'new view' of society, based on his famous social and educational experiments in the village. There are numerous books, articles and journals about Robert Owen, but most of these include Dale as a rather minor figure in the history of New Lanark, even though the mills were internationally renowned during Dale's ownership before Owen had come to Scotland. This new book reflects 30 years of research by the author since the publication of his work on Dale in 1983. With foreword by Professor John R. Hume, Chairman, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland."--Publisher's description.