Although Western societies cannot escape from images of famine in the present world, their direct experience of widespread hunger has receded into the past. England was one of the very first countries to escape from the shadow of famine; in this volume a team of distinguished economic, social and demographic historians analyses why. Focusing on England (whose experience is contrasted with France), the contributions combine detailed local studies of individual communities, broader analyses of the impact of hunger and disease, and methodological discussion to explore the effects of crisis mortality on early modern societies.