Preindustrial businesses: the time of the merchant -- The many paths to industrialization -- British and German businesses during industrialization -- Big and small businesses in industrializing America -- Japanese and Chinese businesses during industrialization -- American, British, and German...

The export boom in Barbados -- Land and labor during the export boom -- Who financed the sugar boom? -- The growth of the Barbadian sugar industry over the seventeenth century -- Origins of the Barbadian plantation complex -- The expansion of Barbados -- Epilogue: rethinking the sugar revolution.