Adventure as well as hope for great gain touched off the western cattle boom of the 1880's. The magic lure of the West proved irresistible even to conservative Eastern financiers. Losses were large, but the disillusioned and precipitous withdrawal of capital made them even larger.

Heirs to the Populist-Progressive tradition in Congress declaimed, in the 1920', against low rediscount rates, the use of bank credit for speculative purposes, the rising volume of brokers' loans, and the flow of money to New York from the hinterland. In the bull market environment of the day the warnings went unheeded, in part at hast because of their origins.

The Western traders who made centers like Kansas City their base soon found that urban development offered greater, safer investment opportunities than did trade. Bonanza real estate earnings became a major source of capital for the further development of the West.

This allegorical representation of commerce is based on the business scene in sixteenth-century Germany. It was conceived by Johann Neudorfer, was engraved on six woodblocks by Jost Amman (1539–1591), and printed at Augsberg in 1622. Mr. Philip Hofer, Curator of the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts of the Harvard College Library, early this year presented this intricately detailed engraving, measuring 30 × 46 inches, to Baker Library, where it enriches a growing collection of works of art portraying the business scene.

The movement for nation-wide association among businessmen was echoed at the local level as well. This study of why and how a “grass roots” association developed suggests that the causative forces included not only material benefits but also a desire for status.

The mineral riches of the West were exploited in distinct stages. Before a settled industry could emerge, highly speculative development companies bought out the discoverers, skimmed the cream, and braved the hazards of nature and management. Some, like the Montana Company, flourished for a time, but litigation, depletion, absentee ownership, and high costs made long-term existence almost impossible.

Like the financial mart from which it derives its name, OVER THE COUNTER is designed for the types of exchanges not handled elsewhere. This feature has its origin in a demand among readers of business history for a place to compare ideas, voice comments on published articles and reviews, and publish research essays. Contributions are invited. The Editor and Advisory Board reserve the right to decide whether, on the basis of general interest, pertinence, and merit, such contributions will be published. OVER THE COUNTER will appear as often as the volume of contributions may dictate.

This is a Supplement to Studies in Enterprise, published in Boston, Baker Library, Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, 1957 (169 pp., $4.50). It lists the most significant books and pamphlets published since the Spring of 1957. It also includes a few earlier it books that had previously escaped the compiler's attention, as well as a selection of articles that appeared in historical journals and a few general consumer and trade publications during the year 1958.