"This comprehensive and readable new study examines a long-neglected subject and its impact on trade and everyday lives. Based not only on wide exploration of local sources, museum and library archives, but also on extended interviews with old farmers and dealers, the book traces the fair's history from early Saxon times to the present day, examining why today's fairs are based purely on entertainment rather than trade." "David Kerr Cameron traces the fair's history from its lowly beginnings in the ancient landscape, through its periods of growth under the patronage of the Church and the granting of royal charters and its eventual transformation into the all-important livestock and specialist events of the regions."--Jacket.