Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Note -- Introduction -- Chapter I. Merchants' Handbooks (1699-1759): Educate, Inform, Reform -- Chapter II. Graef's Discursos Mercuriales (1752-1756) and the Origins of the Economic Press in Spain -- Chapter III. Political Economy in the Spectators Era of the Spanish Press (1758-1771) -- Chapter IV. Decentralizing the Ilustración, Disseminating the Political Economy -- Chapter V. Dictionaries of Commerce and Politcal Economy -- Chapter VI. In Support of the Enlightened Reforms: The Memorial Literario (1784-1808) -- Chapter VII. The Critical Press and Public Opinion: El Correo de Madrid (1786-1791) and the Espíritu de los Mejores Diarios (1787-1791) -- Chapter VIII. Forming a New Bureaucracy: The Chairs of Political Economy (1784-1808) -- Chapter IX. Merchants' Handbooks (1760-1808): From Office Desks to Chairs of Commerce -- Chapter X. The Specialized Economic Press: The Correo Mercantil (1792-1808) and the Semanario de Agricultura (1797-1808) -- Epilogue -- Appendix -- Abbreviations, Sources and Bibliography -- Index.

This book contains a systematic study of economic institutions during the Spanish Enlightenment in the area of print culture (the press, merchants' handbooks, teaching materials), education (university chairs in political economy and commerce) and the organisation of financial matters at state level (economic societies, trade consulates and the official statistics agency). A Unifying Enlightenment is a fresh interpretation of political economy's contribution to the development of the European Enlightenment. Jesús Astigarraga shows that, far from being a straightforward intellectual phenomenon, this new science played a crucial role in both the circulating and institutionalisation of Enlightenment culture and the process of political unification and articulation undergone by the Spanish monarchy, which culminated in a constitutional culture.

Description based on print version record.