Freedom and Growth: The Rise of States and Markets in Europe, 1300–1750. By Stephan R. Epstein. London and New York: Routledge, 2000. Pp. 223. $90.00.

Extract

Historians, and especially medievalists, love to show how many primary sources they have read over their many years in the archives. The outcome of this painstaking excavation is often a heavily footnoted, barely digestible book. On the other hand, economists who like to be pseudo historians in their spare time often propose brilliant theories but have never so much as glanced through a primary source. Stephan R. Epstein's book is a fortunate combination of economic analysis mixed with serious archival research, a pleasure for both the economist and the historian.