The Little London Directory of 1677 The oldest printed list of the merchants and bankers of London

A faithful reproduction of a 1677 London commercial catalogue, this slim volume opens a window onto the city’s bustling trade network before the age of modern finance. The text preserves the original’s spelling quirks and uneven punctuation, letting listeners hear the authentic rhythm of seventeenth‑century printing while the layout has been tidied for easy listening.

Within the entries you’ll encounter the names of merchants, goldsmiths and early money‑lenders who populated streets such as Lombard, Fleet and Cheapside. The list highlights families that later shaped banking, colonial ventures and even political life, offering a snapshot of how commerce, credit and social standing intertwined in Restoration London. It’s an intimate glimpse of the people and places that laid the groundwork for today’s financial world, presented without modern gloss—just the raw, fascinating record of a city in the midst of transformation.