Awards

• Commended for PROSE Award for Best Book in Economics 2009 (United States)
• Commended for PROSE Awards: Economics 2009.
• Winner of Renaissance Society of America Phyllis Goodhart Gordan Book Prize 2010 (United States)
• Winner of Renaissance Society of America Phyllis Goodhart Gordan Book Prize 2010.

Overview

Richard A. Goldthwaite, a leading economic historian of the Italian Renaissance, has spent his career studying the Florentine economy. In this magisterial work, Goldthwaite brings together a lifetime of research and insight on the subject, clarifying and explaining the complex workings of Florence's commercial, banking, and artisan sectors. Florence was one of the most industrialized cities in medieval Europe, thanks to its thriving textile industries. The importation of raw materials and the exportation of finished cloth necessitated the creation of commercial and banking practices that extended far beyond Florence's boundaries. Part I situates Florence within this wider international context and describes the commercial and banking networks through which the city's merchant-bankers operated. Part II focuses on the urban economy of Florence itself, including various industries, merchants, artisans, and investors. It also evaluates the role of government in the economy, the relationship of the urban economy to the region, and the distribution of wealth throughout the society. While political, social, and cultural histories of Florence abound, none focuses solely on the economic history of the city. The Economy of Renaissance Florence offers both a systematic description of the city's major economic activities and a comprehensive overview of its economic development from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance to 1600.

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard A. Goldthwaite (Department of History)
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 4.00cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.953kg
ISBN:  

9781421400594

ISBN 10:   1421400596
Pages:   672
Publication Date:   26 April 2011
Recommended Age:   From 17
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Tables, Figures, and Maps Preface Introduction: The Commerical Revolution Economic Growth and Development in Italy to 1300 Trade with the Levant Links to the North The Tuscan Towns Florence Rise to Predominance The Dynamics of Growth Part I: International Merchant Banking 1. The Network Performance Dynamics of Change Periodization The Era of the Florin Balance of Payments Structures The Firm The Conduct of Business Interfirm Relations The Center Florence and Regional Trade Florence as International Emporium 2. The Shifting Geography of Commerce Northwestern Europe Naples and Southern Italy The Western Mediterranean A Transport Revolution The Iberian Peninsula Southern France The Later Sixteenth Century Central Italy and Rome Venice, the Adriatic, and the Levant Central Europe 3. Banking and Finance Banking Deposits and Loans International Transfer and Exchange The Bill of Exchange as Credit Instrument The International Exchange Market Government Finance Loans to Rulers Risks The Papacy Competition and Innovation in the Sixteenth Century Part II: The Urban Economy 4. The Textile Industries General Performance The Wool Industry The Silk Industry Linen Drapers Business Organization The Firm Operations beyond the Firm Production The Shop The Work Force Recapitulation: Wool, Silk, and the Economy 5. Artisans, Shop keepers, Workers The Work Force Guilds Artisans Works on the Margins of the Market Performance of the Artisan Sector Demand-Driven Growth Parameters of the Local Market 6. Banking and Credit Banking Institutions through the Fifteenth Century Historiographical Problems Local Banks Pawnbrokers Welfare Institutions Banks and the Government Lack of a Banking System Performance of the Banking Sector Practices Economic Functions Bankruptcies Banking outside of Banks Offsetting The Private Credit Market New Directions in the Sixteenth Century A Public Savings- and- Loan Bank A Central Clearance Bank? Conclusion 7. Contexts Government and the Economy Economic Policy Fiscal Policy Business Interests and Government The Region and the City Urban Geography Industrial Resources Agriculture Economic Integration Private Wealth Social Mobility A Profile of Wealth Distribution in 1427 Redistribution of Wealth in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries Conclusion Economic Culture Attitudes and Behavior Notions about the Economy Performance The Economy in the Short Run A Final Judgment Appendix: Changing Values of the Florin Index

Reviews

Renaissance Florence has no more able defender in recent times than Professor Richard Goldthwaite. (Washington Post Book World) Richard Goldthwaite has served a long apprenticeship. As a dedicated student of the economy of Florence between the 13th and 16th centuries, he has published studies of the city's buildings and banks, its private wealth and the demand for its art. Now he has stood back and produced a magisterial history which brings all the strands of the story together and becomes, among its other virtues, a persuasive account of early capitalism. (The Economist) This book marks a crowning achievement of a distinguished academic career, and it achieves both authority in its exposition and modesty in its tone. An essential read for scholars interested in the study of Florence, and historical economics. (H-Italy, H-Net Reviews)

Author Information

Richard A. Goldthwaite is professor emeritus of history at the Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of The Building of Renaissance Florence: An Economic and Social History and Wealth and the Demand for Art in Italy, 1300-1600, both also published by Johns Hopkins.

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