In the growing and dynamic economy of 19th century America, businesses sold vast quantities of goods to one another, mostly on credit. This book explains how business people solved the problem of whom to trust - how they determined who was deserving of credit, and for how much

Intro -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1 Mercantile Credit in Britain and America, 1700-1860 -- 2 A "System of Espionage": The Origins of the Credit-Reporting Firm -- 3 Character, Capacity, Capital: How to Be Creditworthy -- 4 Jewish Merchants and the Struggle over Transparency -- 5 Growth,...