Temptation in the Archives

'these essays make interesting and stimulating reading, and represent a poignant reminder of her distinctive contribution to Anglo-Dutch scholarship.'
BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review

Temptation in the Archives paints a picture of a unique relationship between the Netherlands and England in the 17th century forged through a shared experience – and reveals the lessons we can learn from it today.

Temptation in the Archives is a collection of essays by Lisa Jardine, that takes readers on a journey through the Dutch Golden Age. Through the study of such key figures as Sir Constantjin Huygens, a Dutch polymath and diplomat, we begin to see the Anglo-Dutch cultural connections that formed during this period against the backdrop of unfolding political events in England. Temptation in the Archives paints a picture of a unique relationship between the Netherlands and England in the 17th century forged through a shared experience – and reveals the lessons we can learn from it today.

Praise for Temptation in the Archives

'Temptation in the Archives feels refreshingly personal, accessible yet rigorous.’
Times Higher Education

'These essays make interesting and stimulating reading, and represent a poignant reminder of her distinctive contribution to Anglo-Dutch scholarship.'
BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review

1 Temptation in the Archives
2 1688 And All That: Some Curious Consequences of ‘Going Dutch’
3 Never Trust a Pirate: Christiaan Huygens’s Longitude Clocks
4 The Reputation of Sir Constantijn Huygens: Networker or Virtuoso?
5 ‘Dear Song’: Scholarly Whitewashing of the Correspondence between Constantijn Huygens and Dorothea van Dorp
6 The Afterlife of Homo Ludens: From Johan Huizinga to Natalie Zemon Davis and Beyond