Logic of Charity

MARCO H. D. VAN LEEUWEN'S chosen field is the study of social inequality in Europe from 1500 to the present. His publications include papers on poor relief (Journal of Interdisciplinary History and Social History), on trade-union welfare (Economic History Review) and on social mobility (Journal of Social History and Continuity and Change). At present he is based at the Netherlands Economic History Archives and is preparing papers on risks to welfare in the Netherlands over the past five centuries.

• List of Maps List of Tables List of Figures List of Plates Preface Poor Relief in Preindustrial Europe Poverty and Riches Poor Relief as a Control Strategy Poor Relief as a Survival Strategy The Role of Poor Relief in Society Concluding Remarks Appendix A: The Anatomy of Charitable Power Appendix B: A Short Survey of European Charity: Recipients and the Value of Their Relief Archives Consulted Bibliography Index

'...an elegant model for explaining how poor relief worked well beyond the boundaries of Amsterdam.' - Journal of Interdisciplinary History '...van Leeuwen opens an interesting insight into the world of poverty and richness in Amsterdam in the first half of the nineteenth century.' - American Historical Review