'Goldberg brilliantly combines a historian's knowledge of detail and an economist's conceptual framework to enrich our understanding of transactions and their governance. She shows how the many-dimensional relationships among traders interact with multiple institutions enforcing property rights and contracts; this brings the research frontier closer to relevance and applicability. Her book is a must-read for researchers and students not only in medieval and economic history, but also in institutional and development economics.' Avinash Dixit, John J. F. Sherrerd '52 University Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Princeton University, New Jersey