The story of Britain"s market halls -- built to replace traditional open-air markets throughout England, Wales, and Scotland -- is a tale of exuberant architecture, civic pride, and attempts at social engineering. This book is the first history of these wonderful buildings.James Schmiechen and Kenneth Carls investigate the economic, cultural, political, and social forces that led to the construction of several hundred market buildings in the two centuries after 1750. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary records, the authors show how municipal authorities used market buildings to improve the supply and distribution of food, convey social ideals, control social and economic behavior, and declare a town"s virtues. Generously illustrated, the book also includes a Gazetteer with information about some 300 specific market buildings.