The origin of markets is a central issue in economics and economic history, but until now there has been no definitive reference source on the subject. This authoritative collection fills the gap by reprinting key papers analysing the evolution of markets over the past millennium. These papers,...

"'Big data' is now readily available to economic historians, thanks to the digitisation of primary sources, collaborative research linking different data sets, and the publication of databases on the internet. Key economic indicators, such as the consumer price index, can be tracked over long...