Includes bibliography (p. [427]-445) and index.

Note on coinage, weights, and other technical terms -- Pt. 1. At the origins of the commercial revolution. Commerce in the Byzantine Empire , the Muslim East, and the Catholic West -- Pt. 2. Markets, merchants, merchandise, and means of exchange during the commercial revolution. Th e development of markets ; The growth of the merchant class ; The diver sification of merchandise ; The evolution of the means of exchange -- P t. 3. Commercial contracts and commercial investments. Loans and the pr oblem of interest ; The contract of exchange and its double function ; The sea loan and the sea exchange ; The Commenda contract ; Partnership s and other contracts used in land trade ; Depositors, factors, and com mission agents ; Some other forms of agreement ; Informal commercial pa pers -- Pt. 4. The route and the thorns along it. Transportation by sea ; Transportation by land ; The development of insurance contracts ; Co mmercial litigation and sharp business practices ; Business failures an d their settlement ; International disputes over trade -- Legal restric tions of trade -- Pt. 5. Tools and ideas. Manuals ; The progress of acc ounting methods ; Commercial correspondence ; Moral standards and pract ical advice.

Electronic text and image data. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University of Michigan, Michigan Publishing, 2008. Includes both TIFF files and keyword searchable text. ([ACLS Humanities E-Book]) Mode of a ccess: Intranet.