The Capital and the Colonies: London and the Atlantic Economy 1660–1700

Between 1660 and 1700, London established itself as the capital and commercial hub of a thriving Atlantic empire, accounting for three quarters of the nation's colonial trade, and playing a vital coordinating role in an increasingly coherent Atlantic system. Nuala Zahedieh's unique study provides the first detailed picture of how that mercantile system was made to work. By identifying the leading colonial merchants, she shows through their collective experiences how London developed the capabilities to compete with its continental rivals and ensure compliance with the Navigation Acts. Zahedieh shows that in making mercantilism work, Londoners helped to create the conditions which underpinned the long period of structural change and economic growth which culminated in the Industrial Revolution.

Table of Contents:
List of illustrations; List of tables; List of figures; List of maps; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. London and the Atlantic economy; 2. Merchants; 3. Shipping; 4. Imports; 5. Exports; 6. Conclusion; Bibliography.

About the Author :
Nuala Zahedieh is a senior lecturer in economic and social history at the University of Edinburgh. She has previously contributed to various journals and edited books of essays including The Oxford History of the British Empire, Volume 1 (1998).

Review :
"An economic and social historian, Zahedieh attacks her subject with empirical rigor. The results are detailed and meticulous, if generally longer on data than interpretation." -William and Mary Quarterly "This beautifully produced volume, with footnotes at the bottom of pages, clear maps, many unusual illustrations, and a valuable bibliography, will be of special and enduring interest to maritime historians of the Atlantic, the English empire, and London." -Ian K. Steele, International Journal of Maritime History "Nuala Zahedieh’s monograph draws on articles she has published over the past quarter century and adds additional material from her continuing research on London’s commercial community and its fortunes in the late seventeenth century." -Kenneth Morgan, Journal of British Studies "...this volume fills a scholarly gap through years of laborious archival research. Anyone interested in the colonial trade of the later seventeenth century owes thanks to the author." -Koji Yamamoto, The Journal of Modern History "...Zahedieh's book points to the urgent need for further comparative studies on the Atlantic world from other vantage points than the port of London. For such studies, The Capital and the Colonies offers and excellent model." -Karel Davids, Canadian Journal of History