The work opens with an introduction by G. J. Johnson chronicling the dramatic municipal progress of Birmingham between eighteen thirty-nine and eighteen eighty-six, highlighting the establishment of the Corporation, the police force, public works, drainage systems, and the mayoralty of Joseph Chamberlain. Part one, by Sam Timmins, explores the early history and antiquities from the Domesday Book onward, detailing the origins of the name, the Priory, ancient churches, the impact of the civil war, and the eighteenth-century industrial rise featuring Baskerville, Boulton, and Watt.
Part two focuses on local governance and education. J. Thackray Bunce outlines the five governing bodies—justices, the town council, the drainage board, guardians, and the school board—detailing their evolution from self-selected commissioners to representative bodies. Osmund Airy traces the comprehensive educational system, beginning with the foundational King Edward the Sixth Grammar School, detailing the struggles and reorganization of Queen's College, and describing the establishment of Mason Science College and the Birmingham and Midland Institute.
Part three covers geology and physiography under the editorship of Professor Lapworth, examining paleozoic, triassic, and glacial deposits alongside the mining statistics of the South Staffordshire coalfield. Part four, edited by W. R. Hughes, presents the zoology of the district, cataloguing mammals, birds, fishes, molluscs, and insects with contributions from local naturalists.
Part five addresses the botany of the region under William Mathews, detailing flowering plants, ferns, mosses, algae, and fungi. An extensive appendix concludes the volume with detailed accounts of specialized local industries including chains and anchors, die sinking, and saddlery, alongside charitable institutions, public parks, newspapers, and the industrial enterprises of neighboring Coventry.
The text provides a meticulous documentary snapshot of a major manufacturing center at the height of its Victorian influence, capturing the intersection of civic munificence, scientific inquiry, and industrial ingenuity.
