Mary Greensted tells the story of the birth & development of the arts & craft movement in Britain with the help of numerous illustrations showing the buildings furniture metalwork & the people who influenced it. The movement was concerned with the revival of traditional crafts & a return to the vernacular & it had socialist ideals at its heart. This movement which flourished in the early twentieth century has not only bequeathed us with a wealth of fine objects & buildings but also a way of thinking about life & craft that continues to influence many today.