Seth Rockman dispatches the titular question in his lucid 2014 survey/review “What Makes the History of Capitalism Newsworthy?” relatively quickly but a bit ambivalently. “Nothing succeeds like success” is an old capitalist adage, and it appears to have held true for the field of the “new history of capitalism”—a sudden accession to institutional power and distinction (in the form of tenure lines, a book series, and overflowing lecture courses) has drawn the attention of curious fellow historians and the lay public. Yet even if this virtuous circle of power and prominence is news, it may not exactly be worthy—Rockman spends Read more