Apogee of Empire

"A major work of considerable scholarship and valuable insight . . . It should be in every library concerned with Spanish history."—Jeremy Black, Journal for Maritime Research

"Few books in recent decades have been so successful in mining a vast amount of primary material in order to evoke the arguments and counter arguments that shaped policy in an Ancien Régime monarchy. The authors' account of the crisis of 1766 is stunning in its detail and mastery of political infighting."—David Ringrose, EH.Net

"Based on prodigious original research over several decades, these volumes [Silver, Trade, and War and Apogee of Empire, both by Stanley J. Stein and Barbara H. Stein] do much to unravel the paradox of Spain's resilience as a great power during the eighteenth century."—Foreign Affairs

"It resonates with the emphasis economic historians have recently accorded to institutional influences on economic development and stagnation."—Choice

"An impressive work of massive proportion. It reflects extended, deep thinking about the nature of the imperial system and equally deep pursuit of the historical actors' motives. Every student of the eighteenth century in Spain and the colonies should read this book; more than any previous examination it forces reconsideration of the causes, nature, effects, and even terminology of the 'Bourbon Reforms.'"—Mark A. Burkholder, The Americas

"This book has been eagerly awaited from two authors who are widely respected in their field . . . This critical period for Spain is brilliantly recounted."—British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain

"The gracefully written Apogee of Empire is masterfully crafted from a wide and learned vantage point. The authors have made valuable and unique contributions to the understanding of the Spanish trade policy in the eighteenth century."—John Jay TePaske, Duke University

"The source of a wealth of political and economic insights, and facts."—Paul Jordan , British Journal for 18th-Century Studies

"Stanley and Barbara Stein's book—meticulous in its detail and far-reaching in its international implications—will be a classic."—Nancy Vogeley, Eighteenth-Century Studies

"A very well-written book, with a clear and accessible style . . . A significant contribution to our understanding of early modern Spain, European history, and colonialism."—Wayne H. Bowen, Canadian Journal of History

"Apogee of Empire is no doubt a book everybody interested in Charles's reign should read."—Antonio Feros, Journal of Modern History

"Ambitious and erudite history."—Carlos Marichal, Historian

"Anyone interested in fundamental themes of eighteenth-century Spanish history . . . will find much that is new and stimulating in this book."—Anthony McFarlane, Journal of Latin American Studies

"Will reward and reader interested in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world and the Bourbon reforms."—Kendall W. Brown, American Historical Review