David Hackett Fischer, The Great Wave: Price Revolutions and the Rhythm of History. New York: Oxford University Press.

Abstract

In his latest book, David Hackett Fischer has set himself the challenging task of linking to the more general cultural history of the Atlantic world the record of price fluctuations therein from the high Middle Ages. To this intriguing task he has had to bring not only the exceptionally broad erudition of a notable university teacher and researcher but also his more recently acquired mastery of the vast literature on price history. His handling of this challenge is quite impressive, even if specialists may disagree with his synthesis or interpretation of specific points. Readers of CSSH should find his pages both challenging and thought-provoking as he explains why price fluctuations in different parts of the Atlantic world tended to be linked, even synchronous. Thus, both the common patterns he detects and the diversity he attempts to explain are of considerable comparative interest.