Carlo M. Cipolla

Between Two Cultures

"Serious history buffs will relish this behind-the-scenes tour of the theoretical and methodical challenges that face economic historians seeking to communicate a 'sense of historical perspective, and a feeling for the ineffable complexity of life."—Booklist

In this wise and witty work, a world-renowned economic historian takes us behind the scenes to observe a small band of scholars reconstructing the past with tools of economic analysis and the narrative power of the traditional historian. Despite the methodological gulf between economics and history, both disciplines depend heavily on documents that have survived scattering, aging, and destruction.

When the written record runs out, the economic historian is not necessarily at a dead end: "If a detective fails to uncover written evidence enabling him to identify the murderer, he looks around for finger prints, cigarette butts, bunches of keys, stains on clothing or signs of a break-in." Similarly the economic historian hunts for clues in old coins, in inscriptions on tombs and monuments, in bricks and stone, in the shape of fields and the layout of cities.

Ever the reliable guide, Cipolla maps out regions of new understanding in such areas as slavery, banking, voyages of discovery, and inventions brought to us by economic historians. And he shows with copious examples how our perceptions of everyday life in other tinmes have sharpened and changed under relentless examination by a new breed of historian.

"A scholarly, entertaining look at the objectives and techniques of economic historiography. . . . Cipolla's presentation of economic history as a humanistic rather than scientific discipline makes economic historiography seem fascinating and rather fun."—Kirkus Reviews