For anyone interested in how the 'modern' family came to be, this is simply a must-read book. The level of detail and excellent material here give insights so often lost in historical study into the reasons why certain family norms are norms, and how families in earlier times might view those norms as completely not normal at all. The book even tries to touch a little bit on the later Victorian family, though the main focus is really on the 16th to 18th centuries. It's a longer read, but well worth the time.