Book Description

‘A beautiful work of scholarship and synthesis that should immediately become a standard text . . . For the first time, the history of early modern European Jewry is presented as a coherent whole and in a form recognizable to non-Jewish scholars, adhering to all of the standards of scholarship . . . [a] sparkling book.’ David S. Katz, English Historical Review ‘An ambitious and much needed study of Jewish life and culture in the context of Europe’s intellectual and religious history . . . To this he has brought his own sharply critical judgement and a highly original interpretative theory . . . highly stimulating.’ Henry Roseveare, Economic History Review The first edition of this book was the joint winner of the Wolfson Literary Prize for History in 1986. For this third edition, the book has been updated and includes a new introduction.