The Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century (World Economic History Series) [Paperback]

Georges Duby (Author), Howard B. Clarke (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1978 | Series: World Economic History Series

An important single-volume survey of European economic history during the formative Medieval centuries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This . . . important single-volume survey of European economic history during the formative medieval centuries . . . belongs in the great French scholarly tradition initiated by Marc Bloch. Not only does this sensitive and complex analysis of economic and social life from the seventh through the twelfth century introduce the reader to a sequence of fascinating problems, but also it allows him to come to appreciate the inner workings of Duby's mind. . . . This book offers a detailed description of the changing character of agrarian life leading up to the 'take-off' of the 12th and 13th centuries. Leading aspects of the technology, the landscape, the demography, the diet, the climate, etc., are placed against the backdrop of emerging mental attitudes pertaining to money, burial customs, marriage, etc. Duby possesses the talent to translate socioeconomic detail into the stuff of everyday life."-History: Review of the New Books

"This is a splendid book and confirms Georges Duby's standing as one of the best writers of historical synthesis among medievalists today. Few contemporary scholars have shown as much ability both to carry out detailed original research and to generalize about the findings of others."-Speculum

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (April 30, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080149169X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801491696
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ground-breaking, but outdated, October 20, 2002

By 

Glenn McDorman (Denver) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century (World Economic History Series) (Paperback)

Duby's work was ground-breaking in the 1960s, but has now become outdated. That is not to say that his arguments and analyses have proven wrong or been supersceded. It is outdated simply because it has been incorporated into much more detailed and comprehensive accounts written in the last thirty years (particularly by Norman Pounds).

That does not mean that this book is not worth reading. Duby's piece still provides a unique perspective. Although the work as a whole has been incorporated into much bigger books, no one has focused on the same characteristics that he has. Duby writes wonderfully on the gift and plunder economy, the importance of the medieval world-view to economic growth, and the change in technology. Duby's work is most valuable, however, for the image it creates. Duby follows in the French tradition of writing "impressionist histories." In this way Duby gives an excellent idea of what it was like to live in the early medieval period. In many ways The Early Growth of the European Economy is the perfect companion to Marc Bloch's Feudal Society.

This book is still worth reading because of the focus it has and the impression it gives. At under three hundred pages, it is a quick read, and provides an excellent introduction to the topic.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sophisticated analysis of a complex period, November 4, 1999

By 

James Crinean - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century (World Economic History Series) (Paperback)

I am a medieval economic historian and I have found that Duby's interpretation of this period is one of careful scholarship in primary sources and a sophistication of outlook which transcends some of the sterility of the historiography of this period, particularly the debate over the Pirenne Thesis.

If you want to begin to understand the economic history of this period and also would like to know where to start in looking deeper, I can recommend no better book than Duby's.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great work, December 15, 1999

By 

Antonio Calabria "Cavaglione" (San Antonio, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century (World Economic History Series) (Paperback)

This is without doubt one of the best history books written in the twentieth century. A work of great depth and breadth, it shows a master historian at his best. The analysis is rich and complex; just about every page is rich with insight and often turns upside down some old conventional wisdom (cf., for but one example, his assessement of the positive role the Vikings had on the redistribution of wealth and on economic quickening in general in Europe). This is a veritable tour de force, and one that should be required reading for anyone seriously interested in medieval history. Of course, some material is dated, and on some topics the author changed his mind later on in his career, but that does not detract from the force and brilliance of this classic.