The World That Trade Created: Culture, Society and the World Economy, 1400-1918

Packed full of interesting tidbits, historical oddities, and a few terrible puns, this book is a blast to anyone even slightly interested in history. It covers almost every part of the world, and takes care to show the many differences between the trading cultures and people without making complete monsters or selfless heroes out of any of them. An extremely evenhanded book with a firm grasp of the facts and a fast, easily readable writing style, I can easily recommend this book to almost anyone.

This book covers the history of trade in the New World. It begins by discussing the Aztec Indians. The Aztecs traded rubber, chocolate, Jaguarian Pelts and other fine products. The author also discusses the beginnings of global trade in Asia during the 1400s and beyond. This book provides an excellent supplement to the theoretical and practical history of Economics. It complements works; such as, "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith and the writings of David Ricardo, Malthus and others.

This was my first year teaching AP World History so I had to rely on the books chosen by the previous/outgoing teacher. I wasn't familiar with this book and had to read it AFTER the class read it since they read it over the summer and BEFORE I was hired. The book is excellent for AP World History for a number of reasons:1- It thesis ties directly into one of the main themes of the AP World History course.2- It is divided up into sections dealing with different aspects of world trade, making the book highly readable for 10th graders. 3- The topics are interesting to the kids. They especially liked reading about Drugs: Chocolate, Tea, and Coffee.I wanted to use Diamond's book this year, but fell in love with this book. Maybe I'll try both. I can hear the groans and gnashing of teeth now!

Products: Sugar, coffee, tea, textiles, etc. Areas: Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa, etc. Economic issues: contracts, finance, property rights, information, technology. I am familiar with a number of the areas Pomeranz and Topik describe and greatly appreciate their eclectic, realistic, universal viewpoint. Highly recommend.

Several years ago, a former student called on his history professors to write a short entertaining article in a magazine he had started for businessmen. This article became a regular feature in the magazine, and now these short stories - these vignettes - have been organized thematically into a book.*The World That Trade Created* proves that economic history need not be boring or dry. While the stories introduce readers to people, places, times, and events that put "globalization" into historical perspective, this is definitely not a textbook. Perhaps the highest compliment that I can offer is that it is more suited to the bedside table than the classroom. Pomeranz and Topik have assembled an entertaining and informative collage of historical snapshots centered more around oceans than continents, and (despite the 1400-Present subtitle) more upon the premodern and early modern trade than modern international trade. For the most part, this is a world in which geography and meteorology impose formidable, but not insuperable barriers to trans-hemispheric encounter and exchange, a world where drugs (coffee, sugar, chocolate, opium) "are the foundation of the world economy, not its aberration," a world which is not Eurocentric, but polycentric and multi-cultural.There is something for everyone in this book - businessmen, travelers, history buffs, economists, geographers, students, and educators. The only thing missing are maps which, given the exotic locales that are often introduced, would be extremely helpful.