Stanley J. Stein is the Walter Samuel Carpenter III Professor in Spanish Culture and Civilization, emeritus, at Princeton University. His publications include Vassouras: A Brazilian Coffee County, 1850-1900 and (with Roberto Crotes Conde) Latin America: A Guide to Economic History, 1830-1930. Barbara H. Stein is an independent historian and former bibliographer for Latin America, Spain, and Portugal at Princeton University's Firestone Library. The authors previously collaborated on The Colonial Heritage of Latin America and Silver, Trade, and War: Spain and America in the Making of Early Modern Europe, the latter available from Johns Hopkins.

A monumental contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of the eighteenth-century Spanish Empire. New York Review of Books 2004 A major work of considerable scholarship and valuable insight... It should be in every library concerned with Spanish history. -- Jeremy Black Journal for Maritime Research 2004 Few books in recent decades have been so successful in mining a vast amount of primary material in order to evoke the arguments and counter arguments that shaped policy in an Ancien Regime monarchy. The authors' account of the crisis of 1766 is stunning in its detail and mastery of political infighting. -- David Ringrose EH.Net 2004 Based on prodigious original research over several decades, these volumes [ Silver, Trade, and War and Apogee of Empire, both by Stanley J. Stein and Barbara H. Stein] do much to unravel the paradox of Spain's resilience as a great power during the eighteenth century. Foreign Affairs 2004 It resonates with the emphasis economic historians have recently accorded to institutional influences on economic development and stagnation. Choice 2004 An impressive work of massive proportion. It reflects extended, deep thinking about the nature of the imperial system and equally deep pursuit of the historical actors' motives. Every student of the eighteenth century in Spain and the colonies should read this book; more than any previous examination it forces reconsideration of the causes, nature, effects, and even terminology of the 'Bourbon Reforms.' -- Mark A. Burkholder The Americas This book has been eagerly awaited from two authors who are widely respected in their field... This critical period for Spain is brilliantly recounted. British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain 2003 The source of a wealth of political and economic insights, and facts. -- Paul Jordan British Journal for 18th-Century Studies 2005 Stanley and Barbara Stein's book-meticulous in its detail and far-reaching in its international implications-will be a classic. -- Nancy Vogeley Eighteenth-Century Studies 2005 A very well-written book, with a clear and accessible style... A significant contribution to our understanding of early modern Spain, European history, and colonialism. -- Wayne H. Bowen Canadian Journal of History 2005 Apogee of Empire is no doubt a book everybody interested in Charles's reign should read. -- Antonio Feros Journal of Modern History 2006 Ambitious and erudite history. -- Carlos Marichal Historian 2007 Anyone interested in fundamental themes of eighteenth-century Spanish history... will find much that is new and stimulating in this book. -- Anthony McFarlane Journal of Latin American Studies 2007 Will reward and reader interested in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world and the Bourbon reforms. -- Kendall W. Brown American Historical Review 2008

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of Monetary EquivalentsPart I: Stalemate in the Metropole1. From Naples to Madrid2. Renovation under Esquilache3. The First Reglamento del Comercio Libre (1765)4. Privilege and Power in Bourbon Spain: The Fall of Esquilache (1766)Part II: The Colonial Option5. Flotas to New Spain: The Last Phase, 1757-17786. The Second Reglamento del Comercio Libre (1778)7. The Aftermath in Spain8. A Colonial Response to Comercio Libre: New Spain9. Incorporating New Spain into Comercio Libre (1789)10. The French Connection: Spanish Trade Policy and France11. Euphoria and Pessimism12. By Way of ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

Stanley J. Stein is the Walter Samuel Carpenter III Professor in Spanish Culture and Civilization, emeritus, at Princeton University. His publications include Vassouras: A Brazilian Coffee County, 1850-1900 and (with Roberto Crotes Conde) Latin America: A Guide to Economic History, 1830-1930. Barbara H. Stein is an independent historian and former bibliographer for Latin America, Spain, and Portugal at Princeton University's Firestone Library. The authors previously collaborated on The Colonial Heritage of Latin America and Silver, Trade, and War: Spain and America in the Making of Early Modern Europe, the latter available from Johns Hopkins.

A monumental contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of the eighteenth-century Spanish Empire. New York Review of Books 2004 A major work of considerable scholarship and valuable insight... It should be in every library concerned with Spanish history. -- Jeremy Black Journal for Maritime Research 2004 Few books in recent decades have been so successful in mining a vast amount of primary material in order to evoke the arguments and counter arguments that shaped policy in an Ancien Regime monarchy. The authors' account of the crisis of 1766 is stunning in its detail and mastery of political infighting. -- David Ringrose EH.Net 2004 Based on prodigious original research over several decades, these volumes [ Silver, Trade, and War and Apogee of Empire, both by Stanley J. Stein and Barbara H. Stein] do much to unravel the paradox of Spain's resilience as a great power during the eighteenth century. Foreign Affairs 2004 It resonates with the emphasis economic historians have recently accorded to institutional influences on economic development and stagnation. Choice 2004 An impressive work of massive proportion. It reflects extended, deep thinking about the nature of the imperial system and equally deep pursuit of the historical actors' motives. Every student of the eighteenth century in Spain and the colonies should read this book; more than any previous examination it forces reconsideration of the causes, nature, effects, and even terminology of the 'Bourbon Reforms.' -- Mark A. Burkholder The Americas This book has been eagerly awaited from two authors who are widely respected in their field... This critical period for Spain is brilliantly recounted. British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain 2003 The source of a wealth of political and economic insights, and facts. -- Paul Jordan British Journal for 18th-Century Studies 2005 Stanley and Barbara Stein's book-meticulous in its detail and far-reaching in its international implications-will be a classic. -- Nancy Vogeley Eighteenth-Century Studies 2005 A very well-written book, with a clear and accessible style... A significant contribution to our understanding of early modern Spain, European history, and colonialism. -- Wayne H. Bowen Canadian Journal of History 2005 Apogee of Empire is no doubt a book everybody interested in Charles's reign should read. -- Antonio Feros Journal of Modern History 2006 Ambitious and erudite history. -- Carlos Marichal Historian 2007 Anyone interested in fundamental themes of eighteenth-century Spanish history... will find much that is new and stimulating in this book. -- Anthony McFarlane Journal of Latin American Studies 2007 Will reward and reader interested in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world and the Bourbon reforms. -- Kendall W. Brown American Historical Review 2008

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of Monetary EquivalentsPart I: Stalemate in the Metropole1. From Naples to Madrid2. Renovation under Esquilache3. The First Reglamento del Comercio Libre (1765)4. Privilege and Power in Bourbon Spain: The Fall of Esquilache (1766)Part II: The Colonial Option5. Flotas to New Spain: The Last Phase, 1757-17786. The Second Reglamento del Comercio Libre (1778)7. The Aftermath in Spain8. A Colonial Response to Comercio Libre: New Spain9. Incorporating New Spain into Comercio Libre (1789)10. The French Connection: Spanish Trade Policy and France11. Euphoria and Pessimism12. By Way of ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

Stanley J. Stein is the Walter Samuel Carpenter III Professor in Spanish Culture and Civilization, emeritus, at Princeton University. His publications include Vassouras: A Brazilian Coffee County, 1850-1900 and (with Roberto Crotes Conde) Latin America: A Guide to Economic History, 1830-1930. Barbara H. Stein is an independent historian and former bibliographer for Latin America, Spain, and Portugal at Princeton University's Firestone Library. The authors previously collaborated on The Colonial Heritage of Latin America and Silver, Trade, and War: Spain and America in the Making of Early Modern Europe, the latter available from Johns Hopkins.

A monumental contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of the eighteenth-century Spanish Empire. New York Review of Books 2004 A major work of considerable scholarship and valuable insight... It should be in every library concerned with Spanish history. -- Jeremy Black Journal for Maritime Research 2004 Few books in recent decades have been so successful in mining a vast amount of primary material in order to evoke the arguments and counter arguments that shaped policy in an Ancien Regime monarchy. The authors' account of the crisis of 1766 is stunning in its detail and mastery of political infighting. -- David Ringrose EH.Net 2004 Based on prodigious original research over several decades, these volumes [ Silver, Trade, and War and Apogee of Empire, both by Stanley J. Stein and Barbara H. Stein] do much to unravel the paradox of Spain's resilience as a great power during the eighteenth century. Foreign Affairs 2004 It resonates with the emphasis economic historians have recently accorded to institutional influences on economic development and stagnation. Choice 2004 An impressive work of massive proportion. It reflects extended, deep thinking about the nature of the imperial system and equally deep pursuit of the historical actors' motives. Every student of the eighteenth century in Spain and the colonies should read this book; more than any previous examination it forces reconsideration of the causes, nature, effects, and even terminology of the 'Bourbon Reforms.' -- Mark A. Burkholder The Americas This book has been eagerly awaited from two authors who are widely respected in their field... This critical period for Spain is brilliantly recounted. British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain 2003 The source of a wealth of political and economic insights, and facts. -- Paul Jordan British Journal for 18th-Century Studies 2005 Stanley and Barbara Stein's book-meticulous in its detail and far-reaching in its international implications-will be a classic. -- Nancy Vogeley Eighteenth-Century Studies 2005 A very well-written book, with a clear and accessible style... A significant contribution to our understanding of early modern Spain, European history, and colonialism. -- Wayne H. Bowen Canadian Journal of History 2005 Apogee of Empire is no doubt a book everybody interested in Charles's reign should read. -- Antonio Feros Journal of Modern History 2006 Ambitious and erudite history. -- Carlos Marichal Historian 2007 Anyone interested in fundamental themes of eighteenth-century Spanish history... will find much that is new and stimulating in this book. -- Anthony McFarlane Journal of Latin American Studies 2007 Will reward and reader interested in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world and the Bourbon reforms. -- Kendall W. Brown American Historical Review 2008

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of Monetary EquivalentsPart I: Stalemate in the Metropole1. From Naples to Madrid2. Renovation under Esquilache3. The First Reglamento del Comercio Libre (1765)4. Privilege and Power in Bourbon Spain: The Fall of Esquilache (1766)Part II: The Colonial Option5. Flotas to New Spain: The Last Phase, 1757-17786. The Second Reglamento del Comercio Libre (1778)7. The Aftermath in Spain8. A Colonial Response to Comercio Libre: New Spain9. Incorporating New Spain into Comercio Libre (1789)10. The French Connection: Spanish Trade Policy and France11. Euphoria and Pessimism12. By Way of ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex