1. Things by which one measures one's life. Wealth and poverty in European rural societies / Anton Schuurman -- 2. Economic and cultural differentiation among the Late Medieval and early modern Danish peasantry / Bjørn Poulsen -- 3. Living conditions in the houses of the islands of the Cyclades...

This study examines the darker side of England's culture of economic improvement between 1640 and 1720. It is often suggested that England in this period grew strikingly confident of its prospect for unlimited growth. Indeed, merchants, inventors, and others promised to achieve immense profit...