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Global Commodities brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history.
Highlights:
• Records of individual traders, showing patterns of consumption for a range of commodities over time
• Business Accounts and Records of both small and large companies from an early fur trapper to a major chocolate manufacturer
• Dock Accounts describing the development of a major port from 1755 to 1960
• Bills of Entry for major ports which show changing patterns of trade between 1820 and 1939
• 17th and 18th century Trade Returns and Prices Current for key markets
• Material on the discovery and exploitation of commodities in Asia, Africa and the Americas from 1492 to 2000
• Government records concerning taxation, economic development and colonial business schemes
• Statistical sources documenting world trade; and a vast range of visual material including advertising and packaging, photographs, paintings and prints
• For each commodity, a vast array of historical material documents their origins, transportation, consumption and impact on society.