ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on consumption and consumer behaviour during the period of transition from the Ancien Regime to the modern capitalist era. It has been considered in preeminent scholarly works during recent decades. Since McKendrick launched his trickle-down' thesis and Jan de Vries' industrious revolution theory, both lines of investigation have marked subsequent studies on consumption. With regard to this research, the Spanish historiography has not given particular attention to this topic. There have, however, been a number of articles, papers and even a few theses that have investigated the patterns of consumption of Spanish society during the Ancien Regime. The aim is to undertake a rigorous study on patterns of consumption and consumer behaviour, by analysing the inner dynamics of households of a western Mediterranean area such as south-eastern Spain. Jan de Vries considered the issue in his thesis, paying particular attention to the working classes, artisans and peasants, as the engine that propelled the new economic dynamics.
