What a fascinating creature was Francesco di Marco Datini! Living in the 1300s, he created a large trading company with partnerships in Spain, France, and throughout northern Italy. Spices, wool, fine cloth, armor, slaves, banking--if Francesco thought he and his partners could make a profit, he traded in it.

Yet for all his wealth, he was an anxious, grasping man and a difficult husband. From his private letters, the sources for Iris Origo's magnificent biography, Francesco emerges as constantly worried, anxious about each cargo and afraid of being cheated. His private letters also give us a glimpse of his household, including his younger, spirited wife Margherita and his steady, charitable friend Ser Lapo.

The book has two parts: one devoted to his business dealings and one to his private affairs. So we can learn about the organization of trade in the trecento, complete with careful accounting and ways to mitigate risk, and later learn about the typical life of a rich man who has to manage his household, his wealth, his friends, and his family.

All together fascinating! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to live in Tuscany during the 14th century, at least in his or her mind. ( )

Ik heb heel erg genoten van dit boek. Zelfs in totaal andere tijden en omstandigheden blijven mensen maar mensen. Het boek speelt zich af in heel onzekere tijden. Zakenmensen (zoals we ze nu noemen) moesten toen beschikken over stalen zenuwen en heel veel durf. Politiek inzicht hebben kon ook geen kwaad. De juiste mensen op de juiste plaats gebruiken als jou beste vrienden. Verder deed het strenge geloof ook haar werk. (er was dan wel een immense vorm van ongelijkheid, toch was er ook een soort herverdeling van de rijkdom). ( )

A nice companion to 'The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance'. (http://www.librarything.com/work/408381/book/51832076)
Well written, gloriously researched. I am only done the first 100 pages and I can say it is one of the best accounts of Renaissance life, politics, and economy you will find. ( )

Reading this is the nearest one will ever come to actually living in a Medieaval Italian town. One gets a fantastic insight into daily life - in glorious detail. Datini - the Merchant of Prato - is not a man one would wish for a husband, he is such a control freak, lacking sensitivity towards his wife and family, and mean with his money. I suppose that is how he became a successful merchant in the first place. The times in which they all lived were crude and violent, people lived within very small areas, and yet life still has its pleasures. This book is a MUST for anyone interested in Italian history. Prato still exists although it has almost been absorbed into the sprawl of greater Florence, and more importantly, one can still visit the Datini house. ( )

Forward by Barbara Tuchman, 1986 printing