Richard Donkin, a columnist for the Financial Times, describes in detail the evolution of work in his book, Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work. He goes from the slaves of Roman times, the guild workers and serfs of the Middle Ages on through the Protestant Reformation of the 17th century when workers believed in a diligent and simple work ethic.
在《血、汗與淚水：人類工作演化史》這本書中，英國金融時報專欄作家理查．丹肯詳細描繪了工作演變的歷史：從羅馬文化的奴隸、中世紀的行會工人和隸屬君主的佃農，經過十七世紀新教革命後，轉變為以勤奮儉樸工作精神為信仰的勞工。