The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past in discussion with Mike Riggs

​Join us to discuss Chelsea Follett’s The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past

​Nostalgia for the world before factories is everywhere: the village green, clean air, slow food, work with meaning. Follett, a research fellow at the Cato Institute who works with HumanProgress.org, tests that picture against the historical record. Chapter by chapter, she goes through the ordinary business of preindustrial life, using first-hand accounts to show what people ate, how they worked, and how they died. Her verdict is that the past was far harsher than we remember, and that modern prosperity is recent and fragile.

​About our discussant

​Mike Riggs is a developmental editor at the Roots of Progress Institute. He has spent more than 15 years as a writer and editor, with staff stints at Reason (most recently as deputy managing editor), CityLab, and Freethink. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, and Smithsonian.