Merchants : the community that shaped England's trade and empire, 1550-1650 / Edmond Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Edmond, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Merchants--Great Britain--History--16th century.

Merchants.

Merchants--Great Britain--History--17th century.

Commerce.

History.

Great Britain--Commerce--History--16th century.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Commerce--History--17th century.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

x, 361 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2021]

Summary:

In the century following Elizabeth I's rise to the throne, English trade blossomed as thousands of merchants launched ventures across the globe. Through the efforts of these "mere merchants," England developed from a peripheral power on the fringes of Europe to a country at the center of a global commercial web, with interests stretching from Virginia to Ahmadabad and Arkhangelsk to Benin.0Edmond Smith traces the lives of English merchants from their earliest steps into business to the heights of their successes. Smith unpicks their behavior, relationships, and experiences, from exporting wool to Russia, importing exotic luxuries from India, and building plantations in America. He reveals that the origins of "global" Britain are found in the stories of these men whose livelihoods depended on their skills, entrepreneurship, and ability to work together to compete in cutthroat international markets. As a community, their efforts would come to revolutionize Britain's relationship with the world.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. The Art of Merchandising

2. Many Bodies Corporate

3. Living Together, Working Together

4. Monopolists and Interlopers

5. The City and the Court.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 314-340) and index.

ISBN:

0300257953

9780300257953

OCLC:

1245472715