What readers "made of" a text is an object of historical study that is distinct from the "original purposes" that its author may have had. Later commentators will typically bring to bear concerns and perspectives of their own time when interpreting earlier economic writings. Simply condemning...

<title>Abstract</title> Until at least the 1750s, a number of drafts survived of Richard Cantillon's <italic>Essay on the Nature of Trade in General</italic>, in different stages of completion. This is suggested by a paragraph-by-paragraph comparison between three versions of Cantillon's writings, namely the French <italic>Essai</italic> of...