Steven A. Epstein

Trade, Trust and Networks: Commercial Culture in Late Medieval Italy

Business ideology and mentality development of trade trade in the four cities during quattrocentre - Genoa, Venice, Florence, Milan merchants in economic and cultural history letters and documents diaries and similar literature general concepts trust, reciprocity and networks. (Part contents)

Italy Revisited: The Encyclopedia

The proliferation of encyclopedias and dictionaries in every field raises questions concerning the scholarly purpose and economics of these enterprises: Who stands to benefit from them most, and who can afford them? A new encyclopedia of medieval Italy distills for the current moment the latest canonical judgment of editors and authors about which subjects merit scrutiny and how much weight they should receive in a reference work intended to be consulted rather than read from cover to cover. The process of interdisciplinary collaboration results in a collective portrait of medieval Italy containing some surprises, only a few of which are pleasant.