Published to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Leigh Friendly Co-operative Society, this book provides an illuminating account of one of England's most successful worker-owned enterprises. With insightful analysis and firsthand anecdotes, author Thomas Boydell traces the Society's growth from a small retail store to a major economic force in the region. For anyone interested in the history of cooperative economics, this book is a must-read. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.