The Wheels of Commerce: Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century by Fernand Braudel
In the second volume in this splendid trilogy Braudel turns his attention to the markets and exchanges that, from the start, have been the real motors of change. Peddlers, merchants, fairs, market stalls, the first stock exchanges, means of travel and communication, styles of life and social mores all brought sharply and imaginatively into focus.