Work - a process as familiar to almost everyone as their daily routines - has changed radically in nature over the centuries. Most of these changes have involved revolutionary steps, influencing significantly the way people live and behave. Blood, Sweat & Tears is a history of work, from prehistoric times to the present day. It offers intelligent analyses of the individuals, assumptions, theories, developments, and practices that have so much changed work. Based on detailed research from around the world, the author examines early societies, slavery, and the influence of religion on work. The author controversially challenges the work ethic on behalf of all those whose lives have increasingly become subsumed by the demands of employers, asking the question: why do we do it?