The novel chronicles the rise of Edward Henry Machin from washerwoman's son to Mayor of Bursley. Edward achieves this through luck, initiative and a fair bit of chutzpah.

Arnold Bennett was an English writer and journalist. Bennett's novels and much of Bennett's non-fiction work has stood the test of time. One of his most popular non-fiction works, which is still read to this day, is the self-help book How to Live on 24 Hours a Day.