Download or read book Law and Commerce in Pre-Industrial Societies written by Barry Hawk and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-10-30 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Legal and informal institutions were developed to secure persons and property, resolve commercial disputes, raise capital and share risk, promote fair dealing, regulate agents and gather market information. Law and Commerce in Pre-Industrial Societies examines commerce, its participants and these institutions through the lens of nine pre-industrial societies from hunter/gatherers to 18th century Qing merchants.