The Library Company of Philadelphia’s Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES) is dedicated to promoting scholarly research and publication related to the origins and development of the early American economy, broadly conceived. Its many activities encompass work in fields such as business, commerce, manufacturing, labor, political economy, finance, and technology. PEAES aims to be a clearinghouse for everyone interested in the development of the early American economy, and actively seeks links to scholars, interested individuals, other programs pursuing complementary goals, and institutions that wish to build a broader understanding of the early American economy. Now in its fifth year, PEAES offers numerous fellowships every year, organizes an annual conference, makes awards for best journal articles relating to the early economy, has a monograph publication series with Johns Hopkins University Press, brings conference papers and other scholarly work to publication in historical journals, is conducting a regional survey of manuscript and printed resources in economic history, acquires printed materials – now reaching into the thousands of new titles – to augment the Library Company’s existing rich collections, will run an NEH seminar for school teachers in the Summer of 2004, and presents public programs that seek to extend the Program’s resources to as wide an audience as possible.

Illustration: Edward W. Clay. The Times (New York: Printed by H. R. Robinson, copyright 1837). (detail)