Numerous aspects of the medieval economy are covered in this new collection of essays, from business fraud and changes in wages to the production of luxury goods.

Numerous aspects of the medieval economy are covered in this new collection of essays, from business fraud and changes in wages to the production of luxury goods.

Long dominated by theories of causation involving class conflict and Malthusian crisis, the field of medieval economic history has been transformed in recent years by a better understanding of the process of commercialisation. Inrecognition of the important work in this area by Richard Britnell, this volume of essays brings together studies by historians from both sides of the Atlantic on fundamental aspects of the medieval commercial economy. From examinations of high wages, minimum wages and unemployment, through to innovative studies of consumption and supply, business fraud, economic regulation, small towns, the use of charters, and the role of shipmasters and peasants as entrepreneurs, this collection is essential reading for the student of the medieval economy.

Contributors: John Hatcher, John Langdon, Derek Keene, John S. Lee, James Davis, Mark Bailey, Christine M. Newman, Peter L. Larson, Maryanne Kowaleski, Martha Carlin, James Masschaele, Christopher Dyer

Richard Britnell: An Appreciation
Unreal Wages: Long-run Living Standards and the 'Golden Age' of the Fifteenth Century - John Hatcher
Minimum Wages and Unemployment Rates in Medieval England: The Case of Old Woodstock, Oxfordshire, 1256-1357 - John Langdon
Crisis Management in London's Food Supply, 1250-1500 - Derek J Keene
Grain Shortages in Late Medieval Towns - John S. Lee
Market Regulation in Fifteenth-Century England - James Davis
Self-Government in the Small Towns of Late Medieval England - Mark Bailey
Marketing and Trading Networks in Medieval Durham - C. M. Newman
Peasant Opportunities in Rural Durham: Land, Vills and Mills 1400-1500 - Peter L. Larson
The Shipmaster as Entrepreneur in Medieval England - Maryanne Kowaleski
Cheating the Boss: Robert Carpenter's Embezzlement Instructions [1261 x 1268], and the Employee Fraud in Medieval England - Martha Carlin
The Public Life of the Private Charter in Thirteenth-Century England - James Masschaele
Luxury Goods in Medieval England - Christopher Dyer
Bibliography of the Writings of Richard Britnell
Tabula Gratulatoria