The core of this text tells the story of Manchester's emergence as the first great industrial city between 1780 and 1850, and its time until World War I as the "Capital of Cotton". Alongside his history of Manchester's economy and politics, with its tale of factories, utilitarian entrepreneurs, Peterloo and the emergence of a politicized working class, the author places a less familiar history of the people and their culture. The development of middle-class suburban havens like Didsbury and Rusholme, the cinemas and music halls, the libraries and newspapers, and the great Victorian buildings typified by Waterhouse's Town Hall all contribute to this complex portrait. The last third of the book tells the story of Manchester's 20th-century deindustrialization (mirroring Britain's retreat from commercial predominance) and the dynamic regeneration of the last few years.