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The history of entrepreneurship is an exciting new area of research that deepens our understanding of the roots of industrialization and economic growth. This book links entrepreneurship to business history, identifying the institutions which encourage entrepreneurship and emphasising the importance of small and big businesses, from the medieval period to modernity. Covering the period c.1200-c.2000, this book examines entrepreneurship in a long-run historical perspective, investigating the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and identifying the conditions which encourage entrepreneurship. The multiple case studies, spanning many sectors, highlight the achievements of a range of individuals, including media moguls, female investors and Quaker chocolate manufacturers. The entrepreneurial activities discussed include property speculation, which has been conducted throughout history by medieval monks as well as Victorian master builders. This book sets out an agenda for future research on the role of entrepreneurship in the development of the modern economy. It explores the impact of entrepreneurship on innovation and growth and displays the trajectory of a culture of creativity.

Over the past two decades scholars have become aware of the great importance of the so-called Cairo Geniza documents as a primary source for medieval Mediterranean socioeconomic history. This awareness is due principally to the indefatigable work of S. D. Goitein. The Geniza documents also provide an important source for one aspect of the art history of the period. The some 750 trousseau lists from the Cairo Geniza, in combination with ancillary Geniza records, offer a wealth of information—hitherto unexploited—on the attire of Jewish women in medieval Egypt, and by extension, the attire of Muslim women as well. The trousseau lists dating mainly from the Fatimid and Ayyubid periods (969–1250)—and to a lesser extent from the Mamluk (1250–1517)—contain the complete wardrobe of a medieval Egyptian bride.