The Dutch are `the envy of some, the fear of others, and the wonder of all their neighbours'. So wrote the English ambassador to the Dutch Republic, Sir William Temple, in 1673 and Maarten Prak here offers a lively and innovative history of this Dutch 'miracle' in the seventeenth century. He charts the political, social, economic and cultural history of the Golden Age through chapters that range from the introduction of the tulip to the experience of immigrants and Jews in Dutch society, the paintings of Vermeer and Rembrandt, and the ideas of Spinoza. He sets the Dutch experience within a European context and examines the extent to which the Golden Age was a product of its own past or the harbinger of the more modern, industrialised and enlightened society of the future. A fascinating and accessible study, this book will prove invaluable reading to anyone interested in Dutch history.
- Concise and well-written account of Dutch political, social, economic and cultural history in the seventeenth century
- Covers a wide range of subjects, from the introduction of the tulip in Holland, to the paintings of Vermeer and the ideas of Spinoza
- Well-structured for student use
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