Proto-industry attracted a lot of attention in the 1970-80's. Soon, however this line of research about early modern European social and economic history came to consist of a confusing plethora of disparate case studies, that lacked any coherence and theoretical underpinning, although all writers used the term proto-industry. Finally, however, there is this great book, that provides a unified, and thoughtful analysis, not only of the concept 'proto-industry', but also provides an excellent empirical study of a proto-industrial region in Germany. This is not yet another descriptive study about 'proto-industry', paying only lip service to the original literature. If you are to read one book about what is called 'proto-industry' this is it. The book is well structured, the arguments clearly put, and frankly, this is the book, that finally will turn the proto-industrial debate into an interesting conversation about early modern European economic development. Read and enjoy!

In this book, Sheilagh Ogilvie combines painstaking empirical research about a small region in Germany, with a lucid application of economic theory, to a field of social history that hasn't seen much progress since the early 1980's. This book is a model of clarity, and of interest not only to students of early modern Europe, but to anyone interested in how institutions constrain human behavior. While the empirical part is based on a case study, Ogilvie spells out the larger implications for economic development in early modern Europe, based on the concept of 'State-corporatism', i.e., the symbiotic relationship between the state and privileged groups, e.g., guilds and local communities. She discusses the role of institutions, mentalities and the impact of early modern institutions on economic development. This is a must read for anyone interested in early modern European history and should be of interest not only to social historians, but also to economists interested in empirical studies of how institutions affect human behavior, past and present.