Honorable merchants : commerce and self-cultivation in late imperial China / Richard John Lufrano.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-231) and index.

"In light of East Asia's current economic success, it has become increasingly clear that Confucian social thought, long assumed in Western scholarship to be a major stumbling block to economic development, can, under the proper circumstances, have exactly the opposite effect. Lufrano's study is the most sustained and sophisticated of recent reevaluations of Confucianism's role in the rapid commercial development in the late Ming to mid-Qing period. It will be of great interest and value to scholars in the growing field of Chinese business history and should be welcomed by those interested in the Confucian roots of Pacific Rim business practice."--Jacket.

1. The Late Imperial World: Commerce, Education, and Society -- 2. The Confucian Origins of the Apprentice's Education -- 3. The Apprentice's Education Begins -- 4. Relations with Government and Community -- 5. Personal Relations in the Marketplace -- 6. The Market, Management, Money, and Finance -- 7. Travel and Crime -- Conclusion: Self-Cultivation in Mid-Level Merchant Culture -- App. The Maoyi xuzhi Manual.
Book review online at H-Net Reviews

The merchants of Siberia : trade in early modern Eurasia / Erika Monahan

This book reconsiders commerce in early modern Russia by reconstructing the trading world of Siberia and the careers of merchants who traded there. It follows the histories of three merchant families from various social ranks who conducted trade in Siberia for well over a century. These include the Filat'evs, who were among Russia's most illustrious merchant elite; the Shababins, Muslim immigrants who mastered local and long-distance trade while balancing private endeavors with service to the Russian state; and the Noritsyns, traders of more modest status who worked sometimes for themselves, sometimes for bigger merchants, and participated in the emerging Russia-China trade.