Download or read book The English Gentleman in Trade written by Richard Grassby and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a pre-industrial economy dominated by small family firms, economic growth could not have occurred without the skill, persistence, and initiative of individual businessmen like Sir Dudley North. North was not only a celebrated merchant and economist, but an important and controversial servant of Charles II and James II. Richard Grassby exploits the extraordinary wealth of documentation available to establish how North made a fortune in the Levant commodity trade and through usury. He explores his character, beliefs, and intentions, and the diverse technical and personal reasons for his success. His works, which are here published for the first time, reveal the breadth of his intellectual interests.