The first volume of the Cambridge History of Capitalism contains a detailed account of the development of capitalism from its earliest stages. From its distant origins in ancient Babylon, the chapters of the volume trace its journey one by one to the "promised land" of capitalism in America. Authors from different countries discuss the contribution of the civilizations of Greece, Rome and Asia, as well as the empires of China, India and Arabia to the development of capitalism in a wide geographical framework and a comparative perspective. They determine what features of modern capitalism were present in each time and place under consideration, as well as the reasons why various predecessors of capitalism failed to survive. Looking at the resulting success of medieval Europe and the examples of the city-states of Northern Italy and the Netherlands, the authors describe how British mercantilism led to European imitations and American successes and ultimately how capitalism became global. PDF A4 format saved publishing layout.