James H. Soltow

American Institutional Studies: Present Knowledge and Past Trends

The production of economic history, like that in many fields of scholarly endeavor, increased sharply in the past quarter-century, compared to the rate of output in earlier eras. While the “new†economic history, with its emphasis on economic theory and measurement, has attracted considerable attention during the last decade, “traditional†economic history, written along institutional lines, has continued to be significant, both quantitatively (in terms of numbers of books and articles) and qualitatively (as assessed by contributions to our understanding of economic processes.)

Recent Developments in United States History, 1963-1966

at Michigan State University. He is the author of Origins of Small Business: Metal Fabricators and Machinery Makers in New England, 1890-1957 (1965) and Economic Role of Williamsburg (1965), as well as articles and reviews in historical journals. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Business History Review. T HE first observation to be made about recent trends in United States history is the continuing enor-

Recent Developments in United States History

1 Concise Dictionary of American History, advisory ed. Thomas C. Cochran and ed. Wayne Andrews (New York, 1962); Encyclopedia of American History, ed. Richard B. Morris (New York, 1961); Dictionary of American Biography, ed. Robert Livingston and Edward T. James, Vol. 22, Supplement 2 (New York, 1958); Dictionary of American History, ed. J. G. E. Hopkins and Wayne Andrews, Vol. 6, Supplement 1 (New York, 1961). sociations Guide to Historical Litera-