Reviews for The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe: Volume 1, 1700-1870

The average rating for The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe: Volume 1, 1700-1870 based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-11-28 00:00:00 Rene Steffensen The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe is special in two ways: first, it assumes a European perspective and not a national perspective. Second, it is associated with New Economic History (in other words, it interprets economic history with the help of Neo-Classical theory). The European perspective becomes evident when one looks at the table of contents. The book's chapters are not arranged by single nations but by overall topics (such as demography or agriculture). While there is surely some degree of simplification, this allows the authors to tell a coherent and concrete story of European economic history. Also, it makes reviewing European economic history manageable without distorting the facts. Using Neo-Classical theory offers a refreshing and structured alternative for interpreting the past. Fortunately, the book abstains from using equations for demonstrating theoretical considerations. However, since it is dealing with empirical events it should present the most important cliometric models - but it does not. This might be due to the fact that this book was written for undergraduates but the editors should have included some of the more important models in an appendix to every chapter. This is especially appropriate since every chapter was written by a proven expert on his/her field. I would encourage every (economic and social) historian to read this book.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-08-15 00:00:00 Joshua Stimpson A scholarly and somewhat dry history of the Land of Israel in what is known as the Arab or Early Muslim era. Moshe Gil was one of Shelomo Goitein's grad students, so we are immersed throughout the narrative in the Cairo Geniza documents, with long Arabic patronymics and various business arrangements described in excruciating detail. The various ethnic and religious communities and factions that were players in the country back in those days are thoroughly covered, as well as the power struggles between the different tribes, dynasties and factions. Historians tend to rush past this period and, indeed, there weren't any earth-shattering events in the Land of Israel between the Arab Conquest and the Crusades (although there were some mighty disastrous earthquakes) and one might be forgiven if you came to the conclusion that "nothing much happened." However, Professor Gil's weighty tome is here to show us otherwise, if you can stand the dull prose, the constant use of sentence-long names and the $10 footnotes. His book will reward the assiduous reader who really wants to learn about this much overlooked and intrinsically interesting period in the history of the southern Levant, but there ought to be an easier way to go about it. A map or two would not have gone amiss.