The volume focuses on the importance and placement of alternative exchange practices in the 13' to 18th centuries, specifically examining goods and services used as means of payment in barter or in-kind transactions. Despite monetary theory emphasizing credit and real currency, coins or paper money did not prevent in-kind transactions. Barter isn't merely a result of a lack of money, but rather an economic choice with diverse reasons, meanings, and consequences, found in both rural and urban areas. These alternative exchange methods go beyond mere stopgaps and impact all economic activities, from production to consumption.