Scholars have only recently begun to appreciate the extent to which the norms and practices that foster market societies have been shifting and conflict-ridden. The thirteen essays collected in this volume embrace the view that the experiences and feelings engendered by the historical development of market societies have been, and still remain, open to a broad range of interpretations. They also share the characteristic accents of a new approach to cultural history, in which careful examination of actions, texts, and artifacts is accompanied by an open-mindedness about what their examination reveals.