Donald Cuthbert Coleman (21 January 1920 – 3 September 1995) was a British economic historian. After attending

The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Haberdashers' Boys' School (also known as Haberdashers', Habs, or Habs Boys), until September 2021 known as Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, is a public school for pupils age 4 to 18 in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. The school is a mem ...

, an independent school in

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

in Hertfordshire, Coleman served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in Africa, Italy and Greece during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, reaching the rank of major. He gained his first degree and PhD at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

and was appointed to a post there of Lecturer in Industrial History in 1951. He stayed at LSE as Reader and (1969–1971) Professor of Economic History, and then moved to the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

as Professor of Economic History and Fellow of Pembroke College in 1971, taking early retirement in 1981 to concentrate on his scholarly work. He was editor of the ''

Economic History Review ''The Economic History Review'' is a peer-reviewed history journal published quarterly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Economic History Society. It was established in 1927 by Eileen Power and is currently edited by Sara Horrell, Jaime Reis and ...

'' 1967–72. The annual Coleman Prize of the Association of Business Historians is named in his memory.

Selected publications

*''The British paper industry, 1495–1860 : a study in industrial growth'' (1958, Clarendon) *''Sir John Banks, Baronet and Businessman: a Study of Business, Politics and Society in Later Stuart England'' (1963, Clarendon) (on

Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet FRS (1627 – 18 October 1699) was an English merchant and MP, who rose from relatively humble beginnings to be one of the wealthiest merchants in London and owner of several properties. Life Banks was the son of Ca ...

) *''Courtaulds: an economic and social history'' (on

Courtaulds Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals. It was established in 1794 and became the world's leading man-made fibre production company before being broken up in 1990 into Courtaulds ...

) **Vol 1: ''The nineteenth century: silk and crape'' (1969, Clarendon) **Vol 2: ''Rayon'' (1969, Clarendon) **Vol 3: ''Crisis and change, 1940–1965'' (1980, Clarendon, ) *''The Economy of England, 1450–1750'' (1977,

Oxford UP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, )

References

1920 births 1995 deaths Economic historians People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School Royal Artillery officers Alumni of the London School of Economics Academics of the London School of Economics Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Members of the University of Cambridge faculty of history 20th-century British historians Fellows of the British Academy British Army personnel of World War II {{UK-historian-stub