Capital has dominated the imagination of Western society from the Industrial Revolution. Means and Ends offers the first comprehensive interpretation of the rise, evolution and crisis of this concept from the sixteenth century to the modern day. Based on a wealth of primary sources it offers an exciting study of intellectual and cultural history.
Using exemplary figures to trace out a long and complicated history of ideas, this book admirably achieves its main goal, which is 'to put economic ideas into the context of the history of facts'. Given the scope of the endeavor and the brevity of the book, the discussion remains surprisingly accessible, clear, and concise.' - Warren Breckman, American Historical Review