A new history of English trade and empire -- revealing how a tightly woven community of merchants was the true origin of globalized Britain

In the century following Elizabeth I's rise to the throne, English trade blossomed as thousands of merchants launched ventures across the globe. Through the efforts of these "mere merchants," England developed from a peripheral power on the fringes of Europe to a country at the center of a global commercial web, with interests stretching from Virginia to Ahmadabad and Arkhangelsk to Benin.



Edmond Smith traces the lives of English merchants from their earliest steps into business to the heights of their successes. Smith unpicks their behavior, relationships, and experiences, from exporting wool to Russia, importing exotic luxuries from India, and building plantations in America. He reveals that the origins of "global" Britain are found in the stories of these men whose livelihoods depended on their skills, entrepreneurship, and ability to work together to compete in cutthroat international markets. As a community, their efforts would come to revolutionize Britain's relationship with the world.

• We started tracking this book on September 10, 2021.
• This book was $32.50 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 136 times in the past 1,507 days.
• The current price of this book is $16.99 last checked 3 hours ago.
• This book is at its lowest price in the past year.
• The lowest price to date was $11.13 last reached on March 20, 2023.
• This book has been $11.13 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $32.50 last reached on September 29, 2025.
• This book has been $32.50 6 times since we started tracking it.

• HistoryEuropeWesternGreat BritainStuart Era (1603-1714)
• HistoryEuropeWesternUnited KingdomStuart Era (1603-1714)
• Business & MoneyEconomicsEconomic History

• Publication Date: September 14, 2021
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 417 Pages
• File Size: 59 KB