The volume takes the reader from the peasant economy of the 1400s to the mid-20th century, and Madame Manfr , Malta's fashion couturiere, from the splendour of Grandmaster Pinto's court to the miseries of the Monte di Pieta. It follows the Maltese people's march through the centuries and prods the reader to study and form opinions not easily reached before the availability of this store of new and accumulated knowledge. The publication is also a landmark history book of museological interest presenting the work of 21 authors who collectively contribute known history, new research, anecdotes and a plethora of hitherto unpublished illustrations. It therefore serves as an essential reference book for sociologists and anthropologists who venture to peer into the aspect of Malta and Gozo's past.