Painstakingly researched over the course of 11 years, Sibyl Cavanagh's book is a comprehensive account of the development of a town that has played a part in the history of some of the industries most key to Scotland's development. From the sugar trade, to textile manufacture, to mining, each was once intrinsic to Blackburn's existence, and each was shed in turn, while Blackburn endured. Cavanagh chronicles each development in the town's history with absolute clarity and thoroughness.