From Library Journal
Originally published in the early 1980s, Civilization traces the social and economic history of the world from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution, although his primary focus is Europe. Braudel skims over politics, wars, etc., in favor of examining life at the grass roots: food, drink, clothing, housing, town markets, money, credit, technology, the growth of towns and cities, and more. The history is fascinating and made even more interesting by period prints and drawings. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Jonathan Spence, New York Times Book Review
"The intricacy of detail and boldness of hypothesis in this book are indisputable, and if one is to do more than skim it, it demands and repays enormous attention. . . . The lavish illustrations are superbly well chosen. The pictures show the endless variety of commercial dealings of which humans are capable."


Richard E. Nicholls, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Magisterial, compelling, superbly written. . . . An immensely readable narrative of the emergence of capitalism, of the societies that it shaped, and of its profound ongoing effect on human character."


Book Description
The subject of The Wheels of Commerce is the development of mechanisms of exchangeshops, markets, trade networks, and bankingin the pre- industrial stages of capitalism.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The subject of The Wheels of Commerce is the development of mechanisms of exchange—shops, markets, trade networks, and banking—in the pre-industrial stages of capitalism.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal