As a young man articled to his father, an attorney in Easingwold, William recounts daily activities, putting a personal gloss on events, such as the 1796 election meeting for the County Members. His visits to church, his preference for sweetened wine and oranges, his frequent journeys on foot and on horseback, and the fascinating record exhibited by his personal financial accounts combine to give an insight, through the interpreted transcription of the handwritten text, into an earlier way of life. William’s young lady, Jane, the “Object” of the title, also occupies his time and thoughts and he marries her some years later. Helen Kirk has discovered many eminent predecessors and successors in the family lineage, and the story of William Lockwood is thus filled out. Whilst offering a charming glimpse of local life at the end of the eighteenth century, it extends the story to the present day. This copy is in good condition; see photograph.