Idea of Capitalism before the Industrial Revolution - by Richard Grassby (Paperback)

About the Book

In this volume, noted economic historian Richard Grassby investigates the origins and evolution of the idea of capitalism to illustrate for readers the true nature, merits, and the future of capitalism. Grassby examines its numerous and often conflicting definitions, and he te...

Book Synopsis

In this volume, noted economic historian Richard Grassby investigates the origins and evolution of the idea of capitalism to illustrate for readers the true nature, merits, and the future of capitalism. Grassby examines its numerous and often conflicting definitions, and he tests alternative models of capitalism against the historical record to establish when, where, how, and why modern economies and societies emerged.

Review Quotes

This book appears at a time when the bloody struggle between capitalism and socialism unexpectedly seems to have ended, and now we must wonder why capitalism triumphed and where it is leading us. . . . The result according to Grassby, is an idea that retains symbolic importance.

This much needed attack upon the abuses of the terminology and concepts of capitalism should be required reading for students and professors in history, the social sciences, and perhaps, most of all, the humanities. Grassby has written a brilliant essay, based upon vast learning.

About the Author

Former Oxford Professor, Woodrow Wilson International Center Fellow, and current member at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Richard Grassby has written several books on economic history-most recently, Kinship and Capitalism (Cambridge ) and The Business Community of Seventeenth Century England (Cambridge).