• Introduction; The origins of Dutch world-trade hegemony; The breakthrough to world primacy, 1590-1609; The Twelve Years' Truce, 1609-1621; The Dutch and the crisis of the world economy, 1621-1647; The zenith, 1647-1672; Beyond the zenith, 1672-1700; The Dutch world entrepôt and the conflict of the Spanish succession, 1700-1713; Decline relative and absolute, 1713-1740; Afterglow and final collapse; Conclusion

substantial and welcome study ... packed with detail, and presented in a lively and readable style, it is a completely successful work ... a work of impressive scholarship ... a must, not only for students of Dutch history, but for anyone interested in the economic history of Europe in this period