Book excerpt: This Handbook is the definitive source and reference tool for academics, researchers and graduate students working in the field of Management History. Consisting of eleven sections, they will collectively cover management history's past and present and provide an unparalleled overview of both managerial practice and thought. As a discipline, management history has relatively recently splintered from business history, focusing on the study of organizations and the ways in which work is structured and managed. Initially employing a heavily western perspective and influenced mainly by British and American historians, the discipline has expanded the focus of its studies both temporally and geographically to incorporate pre-19th century forms of organization and extend its scope beyond Western Europe and North America. This important project will be a high level, systematic and comprehensive tool thanks to the range of contributions from leading experts and academics. It is intended to be the first port of call for all research endeavors in the field of management history.