The Dutch Republic

Reviews / Votes

Israel traces a complex political story in clear, relatively engaging fashion. * Brien Bartels, History, March 2000. * This is a magnificent doorstop of a book ... As an account of what made possible one of the most dazzling "Golden Ages" in European history it is unlikely to be bettered. * Sunday Telegraph * Israel's book is an extraordinary achievement ... a splendid summation of knowledge and a powerful work of historical analysis. It takes its place as the most authoritative treatment we have of a society which, in all its precarious complexity, did more than any other to bring modernity to Europe. * The Times * Israel has produced a classic essentially organised on a narrative basis ... the first in a new Oxford History of Early Modern Europe ... Few series could have started on such a promising note. Aside from the scholarship and fluency, the price is right ... Any scholar would be delighted to write a book of such learning, vigour and confidence. Very few indeed have done so, and no other has matched Israel on his topic. * Times Higher Educational Supplement * Israel, a first-rate scholar, has produced the definitive work on the Low Countries for this spectacular but complex period of history...an integrative study that draws on the best scholarship and explains the interconnectedness in a clear and lucid fashion. It will be appreciated by the scholar and understood by the general reader...a major contribution to the field and a superb production; the bibliography, plates, and maps alone are worth the price. It should be in every library. * Choice * Not only is there a wealth of solid information on international rlations, a field in which the author is an expert, but he also takes pains to elucidate the wider European significance of purely Dutch phenomena...a book of immense learning. It is delightful to see how skilfully he arranges the evidence so as to lure the reader into sharing his view of a particular case. He argues, he debates, and then he stuns the reader with a sweeping statement...since he writes for a general public, his revisionism never turns into polemicism...an immensely stimulating book, a thoughtful synthesis that is scholarly, intelligently argued and elegantly written. It is indispensable for anyone interested in the the history of the Netherlands or of early modern Europe in general, a master-work bound to set the standard for future generations of historians...an astonishing work. The reader is dazzled by its sheer magnitude and its exceptionally wide scope. * The Low Countries * The Dutch Republic is history conceived on a sufficiently grand scale to match the significance of the subject. The sheer breadth of Israel's erudition is little short of astonishing and he tackles all aspects of Dutch history...the range of the work is admirably inclusive, and it is hard to point to any significant omissions or to an inadequate treatment of any important topic. There can be no doubt that The Dutch Republic is a landmark in the English-language contribution to the study of Dutch history. It will be an essential work of reference for many years to come. The writing is clear and lively, and the illustrations are well chosen and provided with useful explanatory notes. The publisher is to be congratulated on providing readers with such a large and well-produced work at so reasonable a price. * Times Literary Supplement * For the new Oxford History of Early Modern Europe to be launched with a study of the Dutch Republic is both appropriate and auspicious. ...it would be hard to think of a British scholar better qualified to write a wide-ranging account of the early modern Low Countries - and to set a standard for the series as a whole - than Jonathan Israel. ... he has a remarkably wide knowledge of both the archival and the printed sources of Netherlands history; and he brings to his task an energy, conviction and directness of manner that holds the attention, is constantly informative and frequently prompts the reader to reconsider accepted views. * English Historical Review *