Buyers and Sellers: Retail circuits and practices in medieval and early modern Europe (STUDIES IN EUROPEAN URBAN HISTORY (1100-1800))

Consumption is now a critical issue in late medieval and early modern historical and cultural studies. While we know increasingly about regulatory systems, we know much less about the daily practice of buying and selling. This book brings together contributions from urban historians, social historians and art historians to explore the issues of exchange, shopping behavior, social interactions, gender and physical space. Contributions deal with Italy, the Low Countries and England. In the articles in this volume lines of continuity between the medieval and early modern period have been stressed. In addition, some critical questions have been raised. Were markets necessarily less modern compared to fixed shops? How did changing consumers and consumer patterns interact with the retailer? The essays published here also emphasize the need to study different commercial circuits in their context. These circuits often overlapped and could not artificially be isolated from one another. Authors B.Blonde, R.Britnell, D.Calabi, H. Deceulaer, D. Gentilcore, V. Harding, B. Lemire, F.Nevola, J.Shaw, E.Steegen, P.Stabel, J. Stobart, L. Van Aert, I. Van Damme, C.Walsh, E.Welch. Bruno Blonde is Director of the Centre for Urban History at the University of Antwerp. His current research interests urban history, social inequality and living standards, consumption and retailing history and historical social network analysis. 1. Bruno Blondé, Peter Stabel, Jon Stobart and Ilja Van Damme / Retail circuits and practices in medieval and early modern Europe: an introduction 7 2. Evelyn Welch / The fairs of early modern Italy 31 3. Donatella Calabi / Renewal of the shop system: Italy in the early modern period 51 4. Fabrizio Nevola / 'Più honorati et suntuosi ala Republica': botteghe and luxury retail along Siena’s Strada Romana 65 5. Peter Stabel / From the market to the shop. Retail and urban space in late medieval Bruges 79 6. Richard Britnel / Markets, shops, inns, taverns and private houses in medieval English trade 109 7. Derek Keene / Sites of desire: shops, selds and wardrobes in London and other English cities, 1100-1550 125 8. Vanessa Harding / Shops, markets and retailers in London’s Cheapside, c. 1500-1700 155 9. Harald Deceulaer / Dealing with diversity: pedlars in the Southern Netherlands in the eighteenth century 171 10. Ilja Van Damme / Changing consumer preferences and evolutions in retailing. Buying and selling consumer durables in Antwerp (c. 1648 - c. 1748) 199 11. Jon Stobart / Clothes, cabinets and carriages: second-hand dealing in eighteenth-century England 225 12. Beverly Lemire / Plebeian commercial circuits and everyday material exchange in England, c. 1600-1900 245 13. David Gentilcore / Martino Grimaldi and the merchant-charlatans of early modern Italy 267 14. James Shaw / Liquidation or certification? Small claims disputes and retail credit in seventeenth-century Venice 277 15. Laura Van Aert / Trade and gender emancipation: retailing women in sixteenth-century Antwerp 297 16. Erwin Steegen / Eighteenth-century Maastricht shopkeepers and their hinterland customers 315 17. Claire Walsh / The social relations of shopping in early-modern England 331 1. Introduction. -- 2. The Fairs Of Early Modern Italy / E. Welch. -- 3. Renewal Of The Shop System: Italy In The Early Modern Period / D. Calabi. -- 4. 'piu Honorati Et Suntuosi Ala Republica': Botteghe And Luxary Retail Along Siena's Strada Romana / F. Nevola. -- 5. From The Market To The Shop: Retail And Urban Space In Late Medieval Bruges / P. Stabel. -- 6. Markets, Shops, Inns, Taverns And Private Houses In Medieval English Trade / R. Britnell. -- 7. Sites Of Desire: Shops, Selds And Wardrobes In London And Other English Cities, 1100-1550 / D. Keene. -- 8. Shops, Markets And Retailers In London's Cheapside, C. 1500-1700 / V. Harding. -- 9. Dealing With Diversity: Pedlars In The Southern Netherlands In The Eighteenth Century / H. Deceulaer. -- 10. Changing Consumer Preferences And Evolutions In Retail. Buying And Selling Consumer Durables In Antwerp (c. 1648-c. 1748) / I. Van Damme. -- 11. Clothes, Cabinets And Carriages: Second-hand Dealing In Eighteenth-century England / J. Stobart.-- 12. Plebeian Commercial Circuits And Everyday Material Exchange In England, C. 1600-1900 / B. Lemire. -- 13. Martino Grimaldi And The Merchant-charlatans Of Early Modern Italy / D. Gentilcore. -- 14. Liquidation Or Certification? Small Claims Disputes And Retail Credit In Seventeenth-century Venice / J. Shaw. -- 15. Trade And Gender Emancipation: Retailing Women In Sixteenth-century Antwerp / L. Van Aert. -- 16. Eighteenth-century Maastricht Shopkeepers And Their Hinterland Customers / E. Steegen. -- 17. The Social Relations Of Shopping In Early-modern England / C. Walsh. Bruno Blondé ... [et Al.] (eds.). Includes Bibliographical References. 1. Introduction. -- 2. The fairs of early modern Italy / E. Welch. -- 3. Renewal of the shop system: Italy in the early modern period / D. Calabi. -- 4. 'Piu honorati et suntuosi ala Republica': botteghe and luxary retail along Siena's Strada Romana / F. Nevola. -- 5. From the market to the shop: retail and urban space in late medieval Bruges / P. Stabel. -- 6. Markets, shops, inns, taverns and private houses in medieval English trade / R. Britnell. -- 7. Sites of desire: shops, selds and wardrobes in London and other English cities, 1100-1550 / D. Keene. -- 8. Shops, markets and retailers in London's Cheapside, c. 1500-1700 / V. Harding. -- 9. Dealing with diversity: pedlars in the Southern Netherlands in the eighteenth century / H. Deceulaer. -- 10. Changing consumer preferences and evolutions in relailing. Buying and selling consumer durables in Antwerp (c. 1648-c. 1748) / I. Van Damme. -- 11. Clothes, cabinets and carriages: second-hand dealing in eighteenth-century England / J. Stobart.-- 12. Plebeian commercial circuits and everyday material exchange in England, c. 1600-1900 / B. Lemire. -- 13. Martino Grimaldi and the merchant-charlatans of early modern Italy / D. Gentilcore. -- 14. Liquidation or certification? Small claims disputes and retail credit in seventeenth-century Venice / J. Shaw. -- 15. Trade and gender emancipation: retailing women in sixteenth-century Antwerp / L. Van Aert. -- 16. Eighteenth-century Maastricht shopkeepers and their hinterland customers / E. Steegen. -- 17. The social relations of shopping in early-modern England / C. Walsh