This collection of papers reflects the variety of interpretations and definitions connected with the concept of `mercantilism' which have evolved historically during the last two centuries. They range from interpretations of `mercantilistic' ideas to interpretations of policies.

1 Introduction.- 2 Early Spanish Mercantilism: The First Analysis of Underdevelopment.- 3 An Appreciation of Mercantilism.- 4 Conceptions of History and Society in Mercantilism, 1650-1730.- 5 Mercantilism: A Rent-seeking Society.- 6 Virginian Tobacco During the Reign of the Early Stuarts: A Case Study of Mercantilist Theories, Policies, and Results.- 7 Mercantilism and the Economics of State Formation.- 8 Historical Economics and the Revival of Mercantilism Thought in Britain,1870-1920.- 9 Neomercantilism in American Official Thinking in the 1920s andEarly 1930s.- 10The Concept of Neomercantilism.- 11 Concluding Reflections.