In the study of entrepreneurship there has been little interaction between economic theory and history. For the first time a single volume combines analyses of leading specialists from both disciplines. It examines the ways theory and historical evidence can be linked, how economic theory can contribute to improving the historical interpretation of entrepreneurship, and significant thematic aspects of the history of entrepreneurship. Conceptual analyses are fused with historical archive-based work, reflecting the current state of the art and new directions in research.