The Age of Secrecy

An important, widely researched, and fascinating contribution to our understanding of both early modern European history and Jewish history. -Natalie Zemon Davis -- Natalie Zemon Davis Daniel Jutte masterfully reveals a forgotten economy where secrets were prized, prestigious commodities rather than causes of anxiety, suspicion, or outrage. The Age of Secrecy is a major contribution to early modern history, Jewish history, and the history of knowledge. -David Armitage, Harvard University -- David Armitage Daniel Jutte's Age of Secrecy uncloaks the foundational role played by the arcane in the constitution of early modern knowledge. Look closely into hidden but knowable things, Jutte shows, and you will see a hidden but absolutely crucial world that did not collapse with what we know of as the scientific revolution. It did not even fold with the Enlightenment. Part complementary history of the early modern Judaism, part history of knowledge, this remarkable book opens our eyes to a central, if far too often ignored, dimension of European history that periodizes the history of the period in a novel and riveting way. -Peter Galison, Harvard University -- Peter Galison This outstanding and in many ways path-breaking work is a remarkable example of careful and detailed engagement with a wide range of scholarship and creative and careful attention to both familiar and little-discussed sources. As such, it will be a valuable resource for scholars in many fields, and it helps to further the study of early modern Jewish history, early modern science, and the culture of the early modern world. -Dean Phillip Bell, Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies -- Dean Phillip Bell This panoramic view of the European economy of secrets is a remarkable achievement ... opening a vista onto an otherwise obscure world. -Raphael Magarik, MAKE Literary Magazine -- Raphael Magarik MAKE Literary Magazine