Part of theConnections: Key Themes in World Historyseries,Trade in World Historyillustrates the patterns and impact of trans-continental and trans-oceanic trade from antiquity to the present through its examination of four commodities-spices, salt, sugar, and silk-and their production and long-distance trade.Trade in World Historyis the story of how trade served as an engine of cultural contact and exchange around the world and helped usher in modern globalization.