Peter Buckles is an independent researcher with expertise in eighteenth-century business history.

• FrontmatterList of Figures and TablesAbbreviationsPrefaceIntroductionSugar and Bristol in 1783The structure of the bookKnowledge, Networks, and the Crisis of Sugar Production in the West IndiesNew challengesNetworks of knowledgeMerchants and plantation labourIssues with managementFood and scarcity in the islandsSlavery and the threat of abolition Merchants and the production process ConclusionMerchant-shipowners and the Crisis of Shipping in the Bristol–West India TradeThe challenges facing merchant-shipownersThe challenges of warfareThe convoy systemConvoys and the seasonality of shippingConvoys and communicationsConvoys and delaysConvoys and insuranceConclusionMerchants, Brokers, and the Structure of the Bristol Sugar MarketThe size and structure of Bristol’s sugar marketThe volume and value of sugar imports into Bristol, 1784–1801Bristol’s sugar importersThe separation of roles and confidence in the sugar marketThe mechanisms of the sugar marketDemandSupplyBristol’s relationship with other marketsConclusionCrisis, Disruption, and Uncertainty in Bristol’s Sugar MarketThe return to peace and the threat of warBristol and the collapse of the European sugar economyWar in Europe and the West IndiesThe crisis of overproduction in the West IndiesConclusion4.Creditors, Debtors, and Caution in Times of CrisisThe tools of the tradeThe hazards of lendingCaution in times of crisisThe problems of debt recoveryAn effective screening processConclusionConclusion