Edinburgh Papers. Edinburgh Merchants and Merchandise in Old Times

The essay traces the growth of Edinburgh commerce from modest beginnings to a more varied early-modern trade, noting Leith's limited harbour and small vessels. A surviving merchant's ledger supplies detailed evidence of exports like wool, hides, and fish and of imports such as wines, spices, textiles, paper, and household goods. The narrative explains how merchandise was carried through narrow closes and stored in booths and warehouses amid cramped streets. It distinguishes market zones for locally made inland products, merchant booths for imported wares, and tiny krames for petty goods, and offers concrete descriptions of booth construction, display practices, and everyday commercial customs.