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tions drag a bit, which is unfortunate since the material that awaits the reader makes for compelling reading. Clearer statements of argument might provide a remedy. The only other recommendation comes from a look at the endnotes and the bibliography. Since all of the essays consider Italian merchants living in the diaspora, the work of Eric Dursteler on the Venetian community of Constantinople seems an important omission, even though none of the authors here write in detail about Venice. Similarly, the work of Mark Angelos on the Genoese sea loan contains useful context in terms of the conduct of overseas trade but does not appear to have been consulted. Whatever the minor critiques, the essays offer a great deal of satisfaction for those who study merchants and for those seeking to broaden their understanding of the economic and political relations that existed between Italy’s merchants, and those of the Spanish monarchy. Engaging readers in the rich fabric of merchant life, the picture revealed here reminds that much of the global history of early modern Europe lies not in the feats of kings and clergy, but rather in the activities of merchants and their families who fed human desire for products that could only be found on distant shores, and inaugurated the first era of globalization.