The history of markets, prices, speculations, of mercantile ventures to new territory as it is conquered, during any great war, would make fascinating reading, and fill volumes. A chapter of business history during the Civil War could be written from a folder of old letters discovered among the private business papers of Charles W. Wilder, a partner of the firm of Wilder and Estabrook, which later became Estabrook and Eaton.

A recent and most interesting gift to the Society comprises two beautifully illustrated volumes of historical material from what is possibly the oldest business enterprise in existence, the famous Swedish copper mine, Stora Kopparberg. The books are a gift from the company. It was established in the decade of the 1280's. A study of the history of this old company, by Dr. Henrietta Larson, will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Economic and Business History.

The first use of fire for heating or cooking purposes by primitive man marked a long step toward civilization. In historical times, the discovery that coal could be used instead of wood was less revolutionary in its effects, but it meant a great advance in efficiency. The unpublished manuscript of a history of the coal stove has been presented to the Society by Miss Helen E. Keep, the daughter of its author. It reveals unexpected elements of the picturesque in the evolution of this highly practical invention.