Relying on a broad range of printed and secondary sources, iWage Labor and Guildsi charts the history of guilds from their antecedents in the Roman Empire to their 'crisis' in the fourteenth century. . . . As a much-needed synthesis, the book will serve students well.--iSpeculumi brbrA thoughtful and wide-ranging contribution to the social and economic history of the High Medieval urban milieu.--iJournal of Interdisciplinary Historyi brbrInteresting and comprehensive. . . . A major accomplishment.--iJournal of Economic Historyi brbrEpstein takes a fresh look at the organization of labor in medieval towns and emphasizes the predominance of a wage system within them. He offers illuminating comment on a wide range of subjects--on guilds and guild organization, on women and Jews in the work force, on the value given labor, and on the sources of disaffection. His book presents a feast of themes in medieval social history.--David Herlihy, Brown University p