The oceanic explorations of the 1490s led to countless material innovations worldwide and caused profound ruptures. Beverly Lemire explores the rise of key commodities across the globe, and charts how cosmopolitan consumption emerged as the most distinctive feature of material life after 1500 as...

"The Origins of Globalization: For better or for worse, in recent times the rapid growth of international economic exchange has changed our lives. But when did this process of globalisation begin, and what effects did it have on economies and societies? Pim de Zwart and Jan Luiten van Zanden...

This volume is a major historical contribution to the enduring debate about whether trade makes peace more likely. In nine detailed historical case studies - spread over 500 years and spanning the globe - the contributors explore the dynamic between trade and conflict and examine the...