This volume fills an important gap: to the best of this reviewer's knowledge, there is no recent history, in English, of the Netherlands. However, this volume does not include a brief summary of the pre-1500 period. Most of the book is political and economic history, discussing in detail the rise of the Dutch Republic and its important role in world affairs. Only one chapter describes arts and science during this period. In the 18th century, the republic was overshadowed by Britain and France and became part of Napoleon's empire. The Netherlands regained independence in 1813 and for 15 years was united with Belgium. The 19th century saw the rise of the parliamentary state, the party system, and the "pillarization" of society, i.e., the evolution of different social categories. However, society never made it very clear who belonged to which "pillar." Wielenga (Dutch studies, Westphalian Wilhelms-Univ., Munster, Germany) also discusses the colonial empire and the neutral foreign policy and emphasizes that many changes did not occur, as alleged, without much strife. There are good, brief chapters on the German occupation and the postwar period. The book is based on very recent scholarship and has an excellent bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --Gerlof D. Homan, Illinois State University,ret.