A single theme is pursued in this book - the trade between peoples of differing cultures through world history. Extending from the ancient world to the coming of the commercial revolution, Professor Curtin's discussion encompasses a broad and diverse group of trading relationships. Drawing on insights from economic history and anthropology, Professor Curtin has attempted to move beyond a Europe-centred view of history, to one that can help us understand...
If you are interested in history from an economic viewpoint, like Braudel, and wonder about life before the Europeans conquered the world, this is a good place to start. The author deliberately modeled his book on Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Vol. 1. He focuses on the points of interaction in the Indian Ocean from the rise of Islam to the start of the Industrial Age (about...
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I first encountered this book as part of my grandmother's current reading shortly after its publication. I next saw it as part of the required reading for an upper division undergraduate history course. I mention these to note that this book will interest the casual reader of history or the serious student. While it is scholarly, it's subject takes the reader on such a world tour that it practically qualifies as a travelogue...
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