In the study of entrepreneurship, which has become over the last decade an expanding subject of scholarship there has been little interaction between economists and historians. Most historical studies of entrepreneurship lack a theoretical and comparative approach. For the first time a single volume combines a comparison of eight national experiences, spanning three continents. The chapters written by leading specialists combine historical archive-based work and synthetic theoretic surveys, reflecting the current state and new directions in research.

Youssef Cassis is Professor of Economic History at the University Pierre Mendes France in Grenoble, France, and a Visiting Research Fellow in the Business History Unit at the London School of Economics.

Ioanna Minoglou is Assistant Professor of Economic History at the Athens University of Economics.