Though written at different times, and in response to different occasions, the essays in this book aim to offer a convincing and coherent approach to the interpretation of the topic referred to in the title. The initial impetus for this long course of historical research came in 1976, with a...

Machine generated contents note: Introduction: Commerce and its discontents; 1. Bon luxe, mauvais luxe: a language of commerce; 2. Doux commerce, commerce odieux: the commerce in humans; 3. Cette odieuse piraterie: defining piracy; 4. Indigne atelier: monopoly and monopolists; Conclusion: Commerce...