The Making of the English Working Class (Penguin History)

Magisterial is a good word for it, I think. Can't call it a must-read, but definitely thought-provoking for anyone thinking about how social movements form.

Awe-inspiring historical writing, in research and reframing of the state of working-class organization, rebellion, and self-awareness in the midst of the English Industrial Revolution. Long, and ultimately worth it: I was particularly engrossed in the discussion of Luddism, of Owenism, and of the ebb and flow of organizations, clubs, and societies throughout these years in creating political counterbalance to the state's alliance with laissez faire ideology.

Thompson shares the impressive legacy of struggle and the agency with which that class strived for a better life. He proposes class as a "historical phenomenon" understood "as a social and cultural formation." This is in stark contrast to Marxism, where class is defined by one’s relationship to the means of production. It reminded me Zinn's People History, though Thompson does not touch on women, the Irish or other factors that would paint a broader picture of the working class.