The volume, Lives in Transition , edited by Peter Baskerville and Kris Inwood, provides a valuable sampling of empirical research by historians using longitudinal data. It improves upon the current understanding of a variety of historical issues by focusing on different aspects and stages of individual life courses and identifying questions for further study. It demonstrates the important empirical challenges and presents a variety of substantive topics for longitudinal examination. Overall, the book’s chapters show that analysis of longitudinal data illuminates historical studies in new ways, providing insights about the factors affecting changes in individual lives.