THE MERCHANT or PRATO (422 pp.)Iris OrigoKnopf ($7.50).
In the square of the city of Prato (pop. 30,586), a few miles outside Florence, stands the statue of a 14th century merchant dressed in flowing robes and holding a sheaf of bills of exchange. The merchant's name is Francesco di Marco Datini, and he is still Prato's favorite son. When he died, Datini left his whole fortune of 70,000 gold florins to the town's poor, along with his spacious house and all his papers. The interest on his capital is still shared out annually (about $1,100)...
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