With its deep roots and global scope, the capitalist system provides the framework for our lives. It is a framework of constant change, sometimes measured and predictable, sometimes drastic and out of control. Yet what is now ubiquitous was not always so. Capitalism took shape centuries ago, starting with a handful of isolated changes in farming, trade and manufacturing in early modern England. Astute observers began to notice these changes and consider their effects. Those in power began to harness these new practices to the state, enhancing both. A system generating wealth, power and new ideas arose to reshape societies in a constant surge of change. The centuries-long history of capitalism is rich and eventful. Approaching capitalism as a culture, as important for its ideas and values as for its inventions and systems, Joyce Appleby gives us a fascinating introduction to this most potent creation of mankind from its origins to the present.

乔伊斯•阿普尔比，当代最有成就的历史学家之一。曾任教于加州大学洛杉矶分校，美国历史学会和美国历史学家组织的前会长，其著作曾获2009年的小阿瑟•M.施莱辛格奖。她现在生活在洛杉矶。