Hello.
Using the Library of Congress online catalog, I have located seven
highly regarded, relatively recent books on economic history that I
believe will meet your needs.
(1)
A concise economic history of the world :
from Paleolithic times to the present / Rondo E Cameron (2003)
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+2001051380&CNT=10+records+per+page
See this description from Amazon.com:
"The third edition of this successful book takes a broad look at the
world's economic history from pre-historic times to the present,
exploring the critical reasons why some nations have become rich while
others indigent. The author expands his coverage of the EEC, now the
Economic Union, and extensively restructures his work on Eastern
Europe. In addition to updating the book in light of recent
scholarship, the author also gives special attention to the recent
developments in the former Soviet Union."
Source: Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195107829
--------------
(2)
Before the Industrial Revolution: European Society and Economy,
1000-1700
by Carlo M. Cipolla (1993)
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+94002708&CNT=10+records+per+page
See this description from the publisher:
"During the seven hundred years before the Industrial Revolution, the
stage was set for Europe's transformation from a backward agrarian
society to a powerful industrialized society. An economic historian of
international reputation, Carlo M. Cipolla explores the process that
made this transformation possible. In so doing, he sheds light not
only on the economic factors but on the culture surrounding them.
The Third Edition includes substantial revisions and new material
throughout the book that will secure its standing as the most useful
history available of preindustrial Europe."
Source: wwnorton.com
http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall94/031198.htm
Available from: Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393311988/
I have read (and own a copy of) Cipolla's book. I can personally
recommend this book. It's a fascinating look at how the commercial and
cultural practices of Europe developed and eventually set the stage
for the economic revolution that was to sweep that continent and the
whole world. Cipolla covers a lot of interesting subjects such as
coinage and he explains how certain inventions such as clocks made a
big impact on economic history.
---------------
(3)
The world that trade created :
society, culture, and the world economy, 1400-the present /
Kenneth Pomeranz; Steven Topik 1999
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+98050665&CNT=10+records+per+page
Available from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0765602504
---------------
(4)
World trade since 1431 : geography, technology, and capitalism /
Peter J Hugill 1993
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+92006765&CNT=10+records+per+page
See this description from Amazon.com:
"Tracing the relationship between technology and economy over the past
550 years--since the Portuguese navigator Velho set sail into the
Atlantic in 1431, establishing a trade route to the Azores and marking
the beginning of commerce with the West as we know it today--Hugill
finds that the nations that developed and marketed new technologies
best were the nations that rose to world power, while those that held
onto outdated technologies fell behind. Moreover, he argues, major
changes in transportation and communication technologies actually
constituted the moments of transformation from one world economy to
another. "
Source: Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0801851262/
---------------
(5)
Growth recurring : economic change in world history /
E L Jones 2000
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+00037740&CNT=10+records+per+page
See this description from Riseofthewest.net:
"In Growth Recurring: Economic Change in World History, Jones expanded
the scope of his analysis by examining cases of intensive economic
growth in Song China and Tokugawa Japan as well as industrial Europe.
Far from being a uniquely Western phenomenon, then, intensive economic
growth was a perfectly natural development when political authorities
did not suffocate it. Like earlier modernization analysts, Jones
emphasized conditions internal to a society as the most crucial for
determining its economic development, and he placed the European
experience squarely in global context by comparing it with those of
other societies. At the same time, however, he avoided the
ethnocentrism of earlier modernization analysts by focusing on
economic growth as a historical phenomenon, rather than on Western
experience as a model that other lands must follow in order to enjoy
economic growth."
Source: riseofthewest.net
http://www.riseofthewest.net/thinkers/jones04.htm
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0472067281/
---------------
(6)
World economic primacy, 1500 to 1990 /
Charles Poor Kindleberger 1996
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+95010091&CNT=10+records+per+page
See this review from Amazon.com:
"Charles Kindleberger's World Economic Primacy: 1500-1990 is a work of
rare ambition and scope from one of our most respected economic
historians. Extending over broad ranges of both history and geography,
the work considers what it is that enables countries to achieve, at
some period in their history, economic superiority over other
countries, and what it is that makes them decline. "
Source: Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195099028/
---------------
(7)
This book is a little older, but it's considered something of a
classic in the field:
The Perspective of the World: Civilization and Capitalism 15Th-18th
Century
by Fernand Braudel
Source: Library of Congress catalog:
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+92010173&CNT=10+records+per+page
See these descriptions on Amazon.com:
"The appearance of The Perspective of the World by Fernand Braudel in
the fine English translation of Sin Reynolds completes the trilogy,
'Civilization and Capitalism,'...
'This book is alive, not only with the author's lightly worn learning
and urbane style but with his human sympathies . . . and his acute
awareness of contemporary analogies.'"
Source: Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0520081161
------------
search strategy:
LOC catalog, subject searches: economic history, world history,
commerce history
I hope this helps. If you need any additional information, please use
the "request clarification" feature. Best of luck with grad school! |
Request for Answer Clarification by
duffelbag-ga
on
04 Mar 2003 14:02 PST
Thank you for the quick answer. Exactly what I was looking for with a
few additions I'd really like as outlined below.
1. None of the books on the list concentrate on economic history of
the 1900s. I asked about 50% of the books to be on 1900s because a
book that spans several centuries (as all of them do) will very likely
just point out the highlights of the 20th century without too much
insight. Could you recommend a book or two solely on 20th century
world economic history with emphasis on "world"?
2. Browsing the reviews and outlines of the books it occurred to me
that only one of the books has significant amount of non-Western
economic history (The World That Trade Created), although one other
(Growth Recurring) has more on China. I also asked for a non-Western
approach in my original question. I do understand that Latin American,
African and Far Eastern economic history is tightly tied to that of
Europe due to colonization, but I'm afraid they are not much more than
footnotes on general economic history books. And as I'm planning to
study development economics, I would really appreciate two or three
books on Latin America, Africa and maybe the Far East.
Nevertheless, very nice list. Without the above clarifications I was
about to give 3 stars for this, but the addition of direct amazon.com
links bumps it up to 4, thank you for those. With the above
clarifications fulfilled it's well worthy of five.
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