Preface Introduction 1. Shops, markets and the urban landscape in sixteenth-century Amsterdam - Historical background - The location of retail activities: theory - The urban landscape of Amsterdam in the sixteenth century - The location of shops in the urban landscape - Streets, houses and shops 2. Changing distribution systems: differentiation and specialization in early modern Amsterdam - Distribution systems in the US and England - Distributive trade and distribution in Amsterdam - Combinations of wholesale and retail 3. Shop location patterns in the age of the great urban expansions - A period of dynamism and expansion - Patterns of accessibility in the enlarged city - Shops in the city centre and the new neighbourhoods - The retail landscape of Amsterdam in the seventeenth century 4. The retail landscape and the consumer in the seventeenth century - The street - Shopfronts - Shop interiors - Buying and selling 5. The location of shops in Amsterdam in the mid-eighteenth century - Sources and location patterns: a first exploration - The retail system in the city centre: the main shopping streets - Shops outside the city centre - Forms of accessibility and the urban grid in Amsterdam 6. Stagnation and modernization in Amsterdam's retail sector, ca. 1700-1850 - Shops in Britain in the eighteenth century - The number and location of shops in Amsterdam - Urban improvement in Amsterdam - Retail trade practices in Amsterdam Conclusion Appendix: sources for the location of shops in Amsterdam and selection of sectors List of consulted sources and literature List of tables Topographical index Image credits