Post-unification Italy experienced a series of economic, social, and political changes that deeply influenced the country’s entrepreneurial development. However, the absence of reliable data makes it challenging to form a precise picture of this process.
This book explores the role of trade credit in sustaining industrial growth, analyzing 1,745 bankruptcy procedures recorded in the “Giornale dell’Unione Commercianti in Manifatture di Milano” between 1898 and 1901. Through the examination of financial data, the research reconstructs patterns of credit allocation across different regions, providing new insights into the interaction between economic conditions and commercial practices. By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective that combines accounting history and economic history, this work contributes to ongoing debates on the use of financial data in historical research. It also highlights the significance of non-traditional sources in reconstructing business dynamics in periods of limited statistical coverage.
Aimed at scholar and researchers in accounting history and economic history, this monograph offers a detailed case study of the textile sector’s financial structure, while also proposing new research avenues in the field of bankrupt and credit networks in historical contexts.

CARMELO MARISCA, Ph.D, is Associate Professor of Business Administration and Accounting at the Department of Economics at the University of Messina, where he currently teaches International accounting and auditing standards, and Business economics and principles of accounting. He has been a visiting professor at Charlton’s College of Business – University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth, USA). He is the author of numerous essays published in national and international academic journals.

NICOLA RAPPAZZO, Ph.D, is Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Accounting at the Department of Economics at the University of Messina, where he currently teaches Sustainability Choices and Corporate Finance, Financial Analysis and Reporting, and Fundamentals of Accounting. He is the author of several publications in both national and international journals. His most recent research interests include performance measurement and management, sustainability reporting, and accounting history. Recently, he has been a visiting professor at the University of Malta.