Murray, James M. 1954–

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Murray, James M. 1954–

PERSONAL:

Born March 27, 1954, in Baltimore, MD; son of James and Carolyn Murray; married Susan Smith (divorced, 2004); children: Jimmy. Education: University of the Pacific, B.M., 1976; Northwestern University, Ph.D., 1983.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. E-mail—james.murray@wmich.edu.

CAREER:

University of Cincinnati, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, Cincinnati, OH, professor of history, 1984-2007; Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, director of Medieval Institute, 2007—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Fellowships from Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame, Fulbright Commission, American Philosophical Society, and American Council of Learned Societies.

WRITINGS:

Notarial Instruments in Flanders between 1280 and 1452, Commission Royale d'Histoire, Palais des Académies (Brussels, Belgium), 1995.

(With Edwin S. Hunt) A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including American Historical Review, Journal of Economic History, Medieval Review, and Speculum.

SIDELIGHTS:

Focusing on medieval urban and economic history, James M. Murray has written or co-written several books in his field. Notarial Instruments in Flanders between 1280 and 1452 is, according to English Historical Review critic J.A. Kossmann, a "well-documented study" on the work of notary publics—individuals authorized by secular or religious authorities to draw up official documents.

Murray's second book, A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, was written with Edwin S. Hunt and deals with a broad spectrum of businesses large and small and their responses to various crises over the centuries. Reviewing the book for the Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Susan Mosher Stuard deemed it "a closely reasoned and dense overview of business history." The book was not universally well received, however. R.H. Britnell, writing for the English Historical Review, acknowledged that its survey of aspects of Italian big business was "useful" and that the book contained material not found in other textbooks, but he also had several reservations about the work. He felt that the authors' "comments are without any statistical means of support" and "unreferenced" and that the text includes "distortion and misinformation." In contrast, Historian contributor John E. Weakland described the book as "succinct and beautifully written" as well as "well documented." Weakland commented that "advanced students of medieval history as well as experts will benefit from reading this text, in which medieval business comes alive."

In Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, Murray examines how the Belgian city of Bruges came to be a major European business center. Kathryn Reyerson, writing in the Business History Review, called it "an invaluable, sophisticated analysis" and highlighted Murray's concentration on archival documents, which she felt yielded "extraordinary finds." Murray discusses a wide variety of factors that helped make Bruges so successful, including politics, topography, waterways, banking systems, and businessmen, in what Erin Jordan in an EH.Net review termed "impressive detail." Some reviewers perceived flaws in the book, however. Writing for the Historian, Ellen E. Kittell listed "lack of a thesis" as one of the most serious and also claimed that mistakes and errors were frequent. Jordan had few such reservations. Deeming Murray's decision to discuss the role of women in a separate chapter rather than throughout the text "one minor complaint," she maintained that the book on the whole is "extremely impressive." She remarked upon the author's "deft prose and ability to animate dense and potentially dry material" and singled out his "mastery of the sources" as "most impressive."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Business History Review, winter, 2006, Kathryn Reyerson, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, p. 813.

Choice, October, 1999, D. Mitch, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 374; October, 2005, K.F. Drew, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, p. 340.

Economic History Review, August, 2001, Wendy R. Childs, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 567.

English Historical Review, November, 1998, J.A. Kossmann, review of Notarial Instruments in Flanders between 1280 and 1452, p. 1284; June, 2000, R.H. Britnell, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 692; June, 2006, Andrew Brown, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, p. 832.

Historian, winter, 2001, John E. Weakland, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 450; winter, 2006, Ellen E. Kittell, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, p. 885.

International History Review, December, 2000, Maristella Botticini, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 891; June, 2006, Erik Aerts, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, p. 382.

Journal of Economic History, March, 2000, Richard A. Goldthwaite, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 273.

Journal of European Economic History, fall, 2005, Rossella Del Prete, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, pp. 547-550.

Journal of Interdisciplinary History, summer, 2000, Susan Mosher Stuard, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 86; summer, 2006, Peter J. Arnade, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390, p. 115.

Medieval Review, October, 2005, John Drendel, review of Bruges, Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390.

Speculum, April, 1998, Bryce Lyon, review of Notarial Instruments in Flanders between 1280 and 1452, p. 565; January, 2001, Joseph P. Huffman, review of A History of Business in Medieval Europe, 1200-1550, p. 174.