Volume 21 of "Research in Economic History" is a substantial contribution in several respects. Its heft reflects the continuing increase in quality submissions to this series, which invites (although it does not require) authors to take advantage of less stringent space limitations than is typically true in a journal article. The papers offer regional diversity: two papers with principal focus on England, one on Germany, one on Australia, and three on the United States. There are some commonalities in themes: we have three papers on 1931, three papers that have something to do with banks, two...

This volume includes seven papers in quantitative economic history. Four were accepted through our regular channels. These include Harald Edquist and Magnus Henrekson on "Technological Breakthroughs and Productivity Growth," Scott Redenius on "New National Bank Loan Rate Estimates, 1887-1975," Ebru Guven Solakoglu on the "Net Effect of Railroads on Stature in the Post Bellum Economy," and Pedro Lains on "Growth in a Protected Environment, Portugal, 1850-1950." Three papers are from a 2004 conference, Towards a Global History of Prices and Wages. These include Metin Cosgel on "Agricultural...

The volume includes six papers in quantitative economic history. Peter Mancall, Josh Rosenbloom, and Tom Weiss consider growth in colonial North America, while Gary Richardson examines the role of bank failures in propagating the Great Depression. John Komlos examines the heights of rich and poor youth in England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Klas Fregert and Roger Gustafson provide a synoptic view of public finances in Sweden from the eighteenth through the twentieth century. Drew Keeling studies the economics of the steamship industry that facilitated migration...

Contains six papers, evenly divided between European and North American topics. On the European side, this title provides regional estimates of social overhead investment in Italy. Turning west, it studies conflicts between ranchers and miners over who should bear the burden of taxation in nineteenth century California.