Bibliography

This is an old but classical book on Catalan maritime history, still essential to understand the golden period of the Catalan sailing merchant marine and its relationship with the Spanish Empire. Although analyses a period previous to that of the SeaLit, is necessary for a correct comprehension of the later period and the role of the Catalan merchant marine in the context of the Spanish navigation.  As a matter of fact, the book explains the decades before the Reglamento de Libre Comercio (Free Trade Decree) from 1778 that allowed a set of Spanish ports to do direct trade with the colonies without. This legislation, combined with the recovery of the Catalan agriculture since the end of the XVII centuries, is the roots of the expansion of Catalan economy and the bedrock of the subsequent industrialization at the beginning of the XIX century.