No history of Congregationalism has been attempted for fifty years, and nothing exclusively on the twentieth century. Alan Argent's thoroughly researched book is bound to become a standard resource. His focus on personalities, especially ministers as the usual leaders even in Congregationalism, is traditional, with a little on institutions (but not finance) – and also the effects of two world wars. On all this he is very good. However, there is little or nothing on the social composition of Congregationalism, whether that changed, and, if so, how; on the geography (particularly the economic geography) of denominational support; or even on the role of women in the first large Church to ordain them. Nor is there any assessment of the changing political influence of Congregationalism from Asquith to Tony Benn. The trend towards denominational centralisation (which Argent clearly distrusts) is not related either to the needs of the churches or to contemporary changes in other organisations, both religious and secular, during the century. There is a good account of the arguments against the union of 1972 with the Presbyterians, but not so much on the other side. Disappointingly, the last thirty years only occupy around thirty pages. The failure of the United Reformed Church after 1972 to bring about wider church union is discussed as though its partners did not share the responsibility. Despite its scholarship, therefore, one lays down this book with some disappointment.