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The European Guilds

An Economic Analysis
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( 42 ratings, 8 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The European Guilds offers a comprehensive analysis of the craft guilds that dominated European trades from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution. Sheilagh Ogilvie explores eight centuries of economic history, illustrating how guilds balanced quality control with exclusionary practices. The book vividly presents perspectives from guild masters, apprentices, and marginalised groups like women, migrants, and Jews, while analysing how guilds conspired with political powers to hinder competition and innovation.
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Essential reading for students and scholars of economic history, medieval studies, and social structures in Europe, as well as those interested in the origins of modern economic institutions.

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A comprehensive analysis of European craft guilds through eight centuries of economic historyGuilds ruled many crafts and trades from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution, and have always attracted debate and controversy. They were sometimes viewed as efficient institutions that guaranteed quality and skills. But they also excluded comp

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A comprehensive analysis of European craft guilds through eight centuries of economic history.

Guilds ruled many crafts and trades from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution and have always attracted debate and controversy. They were sometimes viewed as efficient institutions that guaranteed quality and skills. But they also excluded competitors, manipulated markets, and blocked innovations.

Did the advantages of guilds outweigh their costs? Analysing thousands of guilds from 1000 to 1880, The European Guilds answers that question with vivid examples and clear economic reasoning.

Sheilagh Ogilvie features the voices of honourable guild masters, underpaid journeymen, exploited apprentices, shady officials, and outraged customers, and follows the stories of the "vile encroachers"β€”women, migrants, Jews, gypsies, bastards, and othersβ€”desperate to work but hunted down by the guilds as illicit competitors.

The European Guilds analyses the toxic complicity between guild members and political elites and shows how privileged institutions and exclusive networks prey on prosperity and stifle growth.

Series: The Princeton Economic History of the Western World

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  • The European Guilds
    A comprehensive analysis of European craft guilds through eight centuries of economic history. Guilds ruled many crafts and trades from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution and have always attracted debate and controversy. They were sometimes viewed as efficient institutions that guaranteed quality and skills. But they also excluded competitors, manipulated markets, and blocked innovations. Did the advantages of...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Acclaimed as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year and winner of the Gyorgy Ranki Prize from the Economic History Association, The European Guilds is praised for its rigorous scholarship and engaging economic analysis.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691217024

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 June 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 27 b/w illus.

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 156.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 688

About the Author

Sheilagh Ogilvie is the Chichele Professor of Economic History at the University of Oxford and a fellow of the British Academy. Her books include Institutions and European Trade and A Bitter Living.

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