Why read Artisans in Europe, 1300-1914?

Book cover of Artisans in Europe, 1300-1914

Book description

This book is a survey of the history of work in general and of European urban artisans in particular, from the late middle ages to the era of industrialization. Unlike traditional histories of work and craftsmen, this book offers a multi-faceted understanding of artisan experience situated in the artisans' culture.…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Artisans in Europe, 1300-1914 as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Henry C. Clark

Author

Though sometimes described as a “textbook,” this authoritative, lucidly written, and altogether reliable synthesis—covering much of Europe—is actually a fine way to learn about the guild masters who dominated pre-industrial labor. Their paradoxical condition comes through clearly: employers and employees, they were at once seamlessly integrated into the social hierarchy and ruthlessly exclusionary toward outsiders. They touted a timeless, divinely sanctioned order, while also being true wheelers and dealers for their own honor and interests, leading to levels of entrepreneurship and inequality amongst their own ranks that would surprise many.

From Henry's list on understanding where “capitalism” came from.