Recent developments in the study of business and economic history: Essays in memory of Herma... Book

Postan’s text on economic life in medieval England is both incredibly informative, but is, at times, very dry and academic.

Each chapter is nearly self-contained into a subject-based mini-essay, which is a strength as a resource to refer back to, but when combined with the detached, professorial tone it can also make it more challenging to read in its entirety. Diagrams, charts and tables were sorely lacking until the final chapter and would have helped tremendously reinforce the concepts and trends that Postan discusses.

In the end, I think it is a very valuable primer into the topic of the medieval economy. The book provides important nuance to a complex issue that is popularly understood in broad stereotypes, but he also readily points out places where our knowledge is not sufficient to jump to conclusions related to the sweep of economic history in medieval England. I recommend it to those who want to start to get to know the era a little better, but with a warning that value you get out of it requires a proportional amount of investment.