The Dutch economy has relied on trade for centuries. During the seventeenth century the Netherlands experienced a Golden Age built largely on commercial enterprise, and trade continues to be the golden link in the supply chain from producers to consumers. Yet we know very little about the business of trade and the people involved in it. What was the nature of their work, and how did it evolve through the ages? In the lavishly illustrated At Home on the World Markets Joost Jonker and Keetie Sluyterman look at mercantile dynasties - such as the Trips and the Van Eeghens - and companies - such as the famous Dutch East Indian Company VOC and the modern trading company Hagemeyer - that have been largely unstudied. They describe the evolution of a unique economic sector that occupies a key position in the supply chain from producers to consumers.
