De officiis mercatorum (On the Duties of Merchants) has been published for the first time in an English translation. Although it had been forgotten for ages, Werner Sombart drew attention to it in in his study on the genesis of modern capitalism. Nevertheless, this book from the Low Countries is of great historical interest. As one of the earliest, if not the earliest, apologies for commerce in the Dutch Republic, it sheds new light on the early history of Dutch economic thought.
On the Duties of Merchants was published in 1615 at Leiden, a center of humanist learning. Its author, Daniël Souterius, was a Protestant minister. His book can be seen as an attempt to apply a Ciceronian framework of duties to the world of commerce.
The book has been translated by Albert Gootjes, whereas Joost Hengstmengel and Henri Krop have provided a useful introduction. The reader is advised to buy the book through his local bookshop.
- Related links
- Buy at Bruna
